Recent Graduate-Process Engineer – Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication
$76,870 - $191,030 USD yearly
Develop and optimize manufacturing processes to fabricate passive silicon interposer substrates for Heterogeneous Integration technology.
Originally posted 2 November 2026 by the employer.
About the role
The High Frequency Technology Center (HFTC) is seeking an R&D Process Engineer to develop, maintain, and optimize manufacturing processes to fabricate passive silicon interposer substrates for Keysight's Heterogeneous Integration technology. The position is onsite in Santa Rosa, CA, supporting custom micro and nano-fabrication technologies for Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) and System in Package (SiP) products.
What you'll do
- Define process flows, develop new fabrication processes, and execute Design of Experiments (DOE) plans to drive continuous process improvement and maximize product yield.
- Establish process control and stability using statistical process control (SPC), root cause analysis, and statistical tools such as JMP.
- Develop, sustain, and characterize unit processes in wafer fabrication, including PECVD/CVD, dry etch, PVD/sputtering, ashing, electroplating, Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP), solvent strip, and surface preparation.
- Operate metrology systems such as profilometry, ellipsometry, SEM, XRF, optical microscopy, and automatic inspection to evaluate process variation and device metrics.
- Partner with equipment engineering on capital equipment acquisition, tool qualification, chamber hardware configuration, and preventive maintenance strategies.
- Collaborate with integration, product, and circuit design teams to establish performance targets and transfer stable processes to manufacturing operations.
What you'll need
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, or Manufacturing Engineering (or B.S. with relevant experimental research experience/internships).
- Recent graduate status in 2026 or degree completion expected by June 2027.
- Academic training or internship experience in cleanroom environments or experimental microfabrication research.
- Experience in process development, data-driven process optimization, and controlling process variation.
- U.S. person status (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee) under U.S. export control regulations.
Nice to have
- Industrial semiconductor process experience.
- Familiarity with vacuum systems, RF power delivery, gas flow control, and chamber hardware configurations.
- Experience with III-V compound semiconductors and/or silicon technologies.
- Understanding of thermal, mechanical, and electrical reliability.
- Exposure to the project lifecycle.
Skills: wafer fabrication, PECVD, CMP, dry etch, silicon interposer
More semiconductor jobs: Keysight Technologies jobs · Process engineer jobs
This role has been open 1 day — well below the 63-day median for Process Engineering roles.
Process Engineering · Semiconductor Process
|
Open roles in category
1025
|
Median days open
63 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$135k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Keysight Technologies | All employers we track in this specialty (1025 roles · 57 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 9 | 1025 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 127 | 10106 · 116 employers |
| Median days open | 41 d | 63 d (−22 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $135k |
Skills observed across this category: wafer fabrication, PECVD, CMP, dry etch, silicon interposer
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 284 open roles · median 124 d
- Applied Materials · 75 open roles · median 70 d
- Texas Instruments · 58 open roles · median 63 d
- GlobalFoundries · 48 open roles · median 71 d
- STMicroelectronics · 46 open roles · median 57 d
- Entegris · 45 open roles · median 36 d
How we counted: 1025 open Process Engineering (Semiconductor Process) roles from 57 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 4 Nov 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.