A*STAR

Senior/ Lead Research Engineer (FAB), Implant / RTA Process, IME

A*STAR
ResearchSingaporeFull-time4 weeks ago

About the role

AI summarised

Senior/Lead Research Engineer responsible for ion implanter and RTA process and equipment support in a semiconductor R&D fab. Role involves troubleshooting, tool improvement, cross-functional collaboration, and documentation to ensure stable and repeatable processes.

ResearchFull-timeInstitute of Microelectronics

Key Responsibilities

  • Troubleshoot ion implanter and RTA equipment issues in collaboration with equipment engineers and tool vendors.
  • Support system calibration, beam tuning, wafer temperature profiling, recipe setup, and equipment qualification.
  • Lead improvements for tool stability, beam quality, thermal control accuracy, and wafer-to-wafer repeatability.
  • Ensure safe handling of high‑energy ion beam systems and thermal processing tools in compliance with cleanroom protocols.
  • Drive tool matching and chamber qualification to ensure consistent results across multiple tools.
  • Lead troubleshooting for tool alarms, hardware failures, sensor issues, beam tuning instability, or unexpected drift.
  • Support installation, acceptance tests, calibrations, and upgrades for new Implant/RTA systems.
  • Partner with equipment engineers, technicians, and integration teams on tool PM scheduling, consumable lifetime tracking, chamber cleans and hardware replacements, and safety and compliance activities.
  • Interface with vendors on tool issues, performance improvement, and software/hardware updates.
  • Maintain structured documentation including SOPs, process recipes, qualification reports, failure analysis documents, and continuous improvement proposals.
  • Document process changes, recipe updates, and corrective action reports.
  • Present experimental results, data analytics insights, and recommendations to R&D and management teams.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, or related fields.
  • Relevant experience with Ion implantation (high current, medium current, high energy), RTA/RTP systems (spike anneal, soak, millisecond anneal), Basic Epi concepts (dopant incorporation, epi quality, film stress).
  • Strong understanding of equipment fundamentals such as vacuum systems, plasma physics (implant), lamp/thermal systems (RTA).
  • Proficiency in data analytics (Python, JMP, MATLAB, or similar).
  • Exposure to AI/ML‑based predictive models for process or equipment monitoring.
  • Knowledge of SPC, FDC, DOE, and semiconductor manufacturing best practices.
  • Hands‑on cleanroom experience, safety‑oriented mindset, and strong problem-solving capabilities.