Process Development Engineer, Etch - Austin, United States
$90,000 - $180,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 4 September 2026 by the employer.
This role is central to the in-house device development for new generations of tools.
About the role
As a Process Development Engineer, Etch, you will be responsible for the experiment design and execution of new semiconductor, etching, and thin-film fabrication methods. This role involves developing novel R&D processes and influencing tool design.
What you'll do
- Design and run experiments alongside senior process engineers in the lab.
- Read academic papers and technical literature to inform experimental design.
- Operate semiconductor tools including etch, deposition, lithography, and metrology systems.
- Develop, transfer, and optimize process recipes across platforms with a focus on consistency, yield, and throughput.
- Analyze process data, troubleshoot recipe or equipment issues, and document findings for the team.
What you'll need
- BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
- Hands-on cleanroom experience with multi-step fabrication flows.
- Experience operating dry etch, thin film deposition, and lithography tools.
- Recipe development and optimization for dry etch, thin film deposition, or lithography.
- Familiarity with metrology such as ellipsometry, profilometry, or SEM.
Nice to have
- Mechanical or maintenance experience with fab tools.
- Full device-flow experience.
Skills: etch, thin-film fabrication, cleanroom, recipe development, metrology
This role has been open 41 days — well below the 76-day median for Process Engineering roles.
Process Engineering · Semiconductor Process
|
Open roles in category
1038
|
Median days open
76 d
|
Median salary
$137k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Atomic Semi | All employers we track in this specialty (1038 roles · 56 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 6 | 1038 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 25 | 9878 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 45 d | 76 d (−31 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $137k |
Skills observed across this category: etch, thin-film fabrication, cleanroom, recipe development, metrology
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 355 open roles · median 139 d
- GlobalFoundries · 75 open roles · median 114 d
- Applied Materials · 72 open roles · median 75 d
- Texas Instruments · 53 open roles · median 50 d
- STMicroelectronics · 48 open roles · median 49 d
- Entegris · 46 open roles · median 34 d
How we counted: 1038 open Process Engineering (Semiconductor Process) roles from 56 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 15 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family row. Figures refresh nightly.