Research Engineer - Thin Film Process Development

Company description:

The National University of Singapore is the national research university of Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest higher education institution in Singapore

Job description:

Job Description

We are seeking a Research Engineer to develop and optimize graphene-like carbon thin films with well-defined and tunable sp² content. The role will focus on establishing reproducible deposition processes that enable systematic control of carbon bonding, film structure, thickness, uniformity and resulting material properties.
The target application is advanced semiconductor interconnects, and the project will be carried out in collaboration with a leading semiconductor company, providing direct exposure to industry-relevant process requirements, material specifications and integration challenges.
The main responsibilities of the position include:

1. Develop and optimize deposition processes for ultrathin graphene-like carbon films.
2. Systematically investigate the influence of deposition parameters on film structure and properties.
3. Establish stable and reproducible process windows.
4. Characterize films using Raman spectroscopy, AFM, SEM, profilometry and related techniques.
5. Correlate deposition parameters with film structure, sp² content and material properties.
6. Apply DOE and structured process-optimization methods.
7. Investigate process drift, equipment-related issues and variations in film quality.
8. Perform root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
9. Maintain process recipes, equipment logs, SOPs and maintenance records.
10. Work closely with academic researchers and industrial collaborators to translate material requirements into practical process targets.
11. Improve process stability, repeatability and equipment uptime.

Qualifications

• Qualifications / Discipline
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline
• Requirements

1. Preferably 3-10 years of relevant industrial or research
   experience.
2. Hands-on experience in thin-film deposition, vacuum systems, semiconductor processing or materials characterization.
3. Experience with one or more of the following is preferred: sputtering, e-beam evaporation, thermal evaporation, CVD, PECVD, ALD or plasma processing.
4. Experience with one or more of the following is preferred, Raman spectroscopy, AFM, SEM or related characterization techniques is advantageous.
5. Experience in experimental troubleshooting, process optimization and quantitative data analysis.
6. Experience in semiconductor process development or industry R&D is advantageous.
   • Role Focus
7. The Research Engineer will take technical ownership of the deposition process and associated equipment. The objective is not simply to operate an existing recipe, but to develop a robust and reproducible process for graphene-like carbon films with controllable sp² content for advanced interconnect applications.
8. The role offers the opportunity to develop a specialized thin-film process from deposition through characterization and optimization, while working directly with a leading semiconductor industry partner on technology relevant to future interconnect scaling.