Quantum Compute Thin Film Stack Materials Engineer - San Jose, United States
Originally posted 9 October 2026 by the employer.
This role focuses on quantum compute materials thin film stack development, specifically for superconducting qubits.
About the role
This role involves leading research projects focused on quantum compute materials thin film stack development. The emphasis is on deposition of Al, Nb, and Ta based superconductors and various insulators (including AlOx) for high quality factor resonators and Josephson junctions.
What you'll do
- Lead and execute research projects in quantum computing thin film materials stack design, and surface and interfaces control.
- Lead effort in thin film materials stack characterization.
- Collaborate with product teams to tackle novel challenges and develop innovative solutions.
- Stay current with industry and academic trends, publishing papers and presenting at conferences.
- Develop and present detailed reports and visualizations to communicate findings, trends, and actionable insights.
What you'll need
- Ph.D degree and post-doctoral experience in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science with focus on development of various (Al, Nb, Ta) thin film materials stacks for superconducting qubits.
- Thorough understanding of superconducting qubit design theory.
- Experience in thin film materials characterization including XRD, AFM, CIPT, cross-sectional TEM, XPS.
- Proficiency in programming languages like Python, Rust, TCL, or C.
Nice to have
- Experience in nanofabrication methods for superconducting qubits.
- Knowledge (or willingness to acquire knowledge) of FPGA based microcontrollers.
Skills: thin film materials stack, superconducting qubits, materials characterization, XRD, XPS
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 77-day median for Process Engineering roles.
Process Engineering · Semiconductor Process
|
Open roles in category
1044
|
Median days open
77 d
|
Median salary
$148k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Western Digital | All employers we track in this specialty (1044 roles · 58 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 21 | 1044 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 175 | 9796 · 108 employers |
| Median days open | 45 d | 77 d (−32 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $148k |
Skills observed across this category: thin film materials stack, superconducting qubits, materials characterization, XRD, XPS
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 347 open roles · median 155 d
- Applied Materials · 79 open roles · median 76 d
- GlobalFoundries · 67 open roles · median 108 d
- Texas Instruments · 53 open roles · median 44 d
- STMicroelectronics · 48 open roles · median 43 d
- Entegris · 43 open roles · median 29 d
How we counted: 1044 open Process Engineering (Semiconductor Process) roles from 58 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 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.