MEMS Process Integration Scientist

Job Description

Job Description

HRL Laboratories, an IBM company, pioneers the next frontiers of physical and information science. Delivering transformative technologies in automotive, aerospace and defense, HRL advances the critical missions of its customers to help them remove limitations and create competitive advantage. HRL then transitions the work back to customers – ready for real-world application. For more than 70 years, HRL’s rich portfolio of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations continues to build on each other — often in unexpected, profound and far-reaching ways. As a private company owned by IBM, HRL prioritizes purpose over profit, significantly advancing the state of the art.

HRL's compact, high-performance MEMS IMUs are revolutionizing navigation systems by delivering reliable guidance in GPS-degraded environments. Engineered with navigation-grade precision, these IMUs provide a cost-effective and scalable solution for automotive, aerospace, and other demanding applications where traditional GPS reliance falls short.

These innovations aim to deliver a first-of-its-kind navigation-grade component that combines reliability, precision, and affordability. By offering a viable alternative to traditional IMUs, HRL's MEMS technology is advancing the capabilities of autonomous systems and enabling precise navigation in challenging environments.

Essential Duties:

• Innovative Collaboration: Collaborate with a team of scientists and engineers to develop advanced MEMS-enabled sensors and actuators for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications, driving innovation to redefine industry standards.
• Strategic Process Integration: Integrate new processes into scalable workflows, ensuring seamless transitions from research to production while applying creativity and systems-level thinking.
• Device Design and Fabrication: Lead the design, fabrication, and testing of MEMS devices and subsystems, ensuring they meet project requirements and are scalable for production.
• Experimental Development: Design and execute experiments to validate innovative MEMS technologies, employing creative approaches to solve complex challenges and explore new possibilities.
• Precision Analysis: Perform wafer inspections and metrology to ensure quality and precision, driving iterative improvements for both research-specific and scalable processes.
• Project Leadership: Manage critical project elements, including timelines, deliverables, and resources, ensuring successful execution and impactful outcomes that bridge research innovations with real-world applications.
• Conceive, propose, and secure new research initiatives focused on MEMS, NEMS, and other relevant technologies.
• This role emphasizes technical leadership, scientific originality, and program ownership to shape a portfolio of high-impact efforts that advance next-generation navigation systems.
• Responsible for guiding funded programs, influencing technical strategy, and mentoring junior staff.

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. or Master’s Degree in a physical science or engineering field with 5+ years of fabrication process experience in an R&D environment
• Proven Expertise in Process Development: Demonstrate strong skills in process development, optimization, design of experiments (DOE), statistical data analysis, and innovative problem-solving to drive cutting-edge advancements
• Collaborative Team Environment: Strong verbal and written communication skills to thrive in a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team and enable effective cross-laboratory collaboration
• End-to-End Fabrication Mastery: Ability to integrate diverse process recipes into seamless fabrication workflows while addressing process interdependencies to achieve high-performance results
• Hands-On Experience with Advanced Techniques: Proficiency in the following state-of-the-art technologies: 
o Contact/stepper photolithography
o Wet and plasma dry etching
o High aspect-ratio deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) for silicon, glass, and other MEMS materials
o Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
o Dielectric and metal depositions
o Wafer bonding and vacuum encapsulation of microscale structures
o Sacrificial and structural layer creation and wet/dry release processes
• Precision Metrology Skills: Expertise in using advanced tools such as optical/infrared microscopy, interferometric measurements, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with elemental analysis to ensure quality and precision.
• Innovative Design Expertise: Experience in designing and characterizing process control monitors (PCM) for in-process verification, along with proficiency in creating and modifying mask layouts using industry-standard CAD software like L-Edit or Cadence
• Technical Proposal Development: Experience in writing technical proposals to present innovative research and development concepts

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands-On Micro-Machining Experience: Experience with both surface and bulk micro-machining is highly desired.
• Fabrication Documentation: Strong ability to document fabrication experiments accurately and thoroughly.
• Back-End Wafer Processing: Experience in wafer grinding, CMP, die singulation, and assembly processes into packages
• Data Analysis Proficiency: Familiarity with data analysis software such as JMP, MATLAB, or Python is a significant advantage
• Automation Skills: Experience in automating fabrication data collection and analysis
• Device Simulation Expertise: Knowledge of mechanical, thermal, or electrical Finite Element Analysis (FEA) modeling using tools like COMSOL or SolidWorks
• Inline Process Characterization: Experience in designing and conducting wafer or die-level electrical or optical process control monitor (PCM) testing

Physical Requirements:

Must be able to perform safely in a MEMS microfabrication cleanroom and follow standard operating practices

Special Requirements:

US Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government security clearance

Compensation and Benefits:

• Pay Range : $140,700 - $175,950
• Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location (California). The range displayed on each job posting reflects the target range for new hire salaries for the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.

• Benefits: HRL offers a generous and very competitive total compensation and benefits package. Our Regular/Full Time benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K match, gym facilities, PTO, Sick time, upward mobility, and an exciting and challenging work environment.
• For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At HRL, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing. 

If you would like more information about Equal Employment Opportunity as an applicant under the law, please go to Employees & Job Applicants \u007C U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

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Keywords/ Phrases: Dry Etch, Wafer level bonding, idea generation, proposal writing, principal investigator

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.