Process step engineer Materials and Interface Laboratory (M&I Lab)

The Materials and Interface Laboratory (M&I Lab) at imec is responsible for developing novel thin film processes of relevant materials that are critical to enable the future of advanced semiconducting device designs. Future generations of logic and memory devices, such as complementary field effect transistors (CFET), 4F2 DRAM or 3DDRAM and CMOS 2.0, are moving to complex 3D integration schemes to boost performance and to meet density scaling trends. Enablement of these designs require novel materials solutions to help realize these complex architectures; producing unprecedented challenges for materials and thin film process development.  The M&I lab at imec has been created to address these challenges by increasing the rate of materials development and learnings for, ultimately, lab-to-fab conversion of materials and processes to enable new material fab-based realization. The lab contains Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) sputtering, and Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) deposition tools along with myriad thin film characterization techniques. 

What you will do

You will be a member of imec’s Lab Operations & Coordination Department, and more specifically of the XLSO group (Xplore Lab Support and Operations). This team has a mix of process and hardware experts and maintains a lab that has approximately 500 registered users.

Specifically, you will be a part of a small team that provides support for the deposition and analysis tools of the M&I Lab. 

Your responsibilities will involve: performing routine ALD and PVD depositions and film characterizations, monitoring the health of the tools, training new users on the tool, and maintaining the laboratory inventory of chemical precursors and sputtering targets.

In the deposition aspect of this position, you will perform depositions using both ALD and PVD that support additional service requests that are needed by programs outside the defined M&I lab research activities. Additionally, there will be a need for process development on novel material chemistries for ALD films as well as process optimization for PVD films as the need arises.

Thin film characterization will also be a primary activity. Here, you will perform routine XRD, XRR, ellipsometry and four-point probe, etc. on films you have grown, as well request that require characterization that have been grown in the M&I lab. This will require not only collecting characterization data but also analyzing and fitting the data with software and sometimes summarizing and presenting the results.

The M&I lab cluster tool is a one-of-a-kind deposition tool and is uniquely designed for advanced materials development. Your job will eventually require you to have a strong command of the operation of this cluster deposition tool to the point where you become the tool expert and will have the ability to train other new users as additional thin film research projects are accepted into the M&I lab.  You will closely collaborate with expert thin film researchers from the MIDA department in the development of new materials and processes. 

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow. This position will not only expose you to some of the most advanced film developments in the semiconductor industry, but will enable you to play an active role in defining the future of materials development at imec and the global semiconductor ecosystem. You will be surrounded by motivated and intelligent staff and become an expert in ALD and PVD.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process; not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth. 

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a market appropriate salary with many fringe benefits. 

Who you are

• You have a Master degree, or equivalent by experience, in industrial engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Material Science, or Nanotechnology.
• You have knowledge and preferably working experience in PVD, ALD and vacuum science.
• You are familiar with thin film deposition and process development.
• You have film characterization and data analysis expertise.
• You are organized and have good communication and reporting skills.
• You can prioritize activities, work independently and in also in a group.
• You are hands-on and have a flexible mindset.
• You work accurately, pay attention to detail and have an analytical mindset.
• You are a team player and can work in an international environment with various partners and customers.
• You are a fluent communicator with excellent English communication skills.

IMEC and its affiliates will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. IMEC will consider unsolicited referrals and/or resumes submitted by vendors such as search firms, staffing agencies, professional recruiters, fee-based referral services and recruiting agencies (hereafter “Agency”) to have been referred by the Agency free of charge. IMEC will not pay a fee to any Agency that does not have a prior written agreement with IMEC, validated by its HR department, in place regarding a specific job opening and allowing to submit resumes.