Staff Process Development Engineer (Wet etch)

Job Title

Staff Process Development Engineer (Wet etch)

Role Summary

Senior process engineer responsible for developing, optimising and transferring wet chemical etch processes for III‑V semiconductor and photonic devices at the Caswell (Towcester) fabrication site. The role focuses on new process development, NPI, yield and defect reduction, cycle‑time improvement and operational support.

Experience Level

Senior (Staff-level). Years of experience not specified.

Responsibilities

Primary duties in development and production support for wet etch processes and associated equipment:

• Develop, optimise and maintain wet etch processes to meet target profiles, selectivity, uniformity and repeatability.
• Support new product introduction and transfer of processes from R&D into manufacturing.
• Perform equipment qualification and cross‑qualification to ensure supply continuity and capacity increases.
• Analyse process and equipment data using SPC, DOE and Six Sigma methods to drive yield and cycle‑time improvement.
• Lead or participate in yield improvement, defect reduction and cost‑reduction initiatives.
• Troubleshoot process and tool issues; support fault finding and recovery activities to restore performance.
• Prepare and review technical documentation, operating procedures, engineering reports and training materials.
• Apply Lean Manufacturing and root cause analysis techniques to improve process performance and efficiency.
• Collaborate with Product Engineering, Equipment Engineering, Manufacturing and R&D teams to meet production objectives.
• Work in a semiconductor cleanroom performing wet etch operations while following site health, safety and environmental procedures.

Requirements

Concise list of required and preferred skills. Degrees and formal qualifications are listed under Education Requirements below.

• Must-have: Practical experience with wet chemical etch process development or production support in a semiconductor or photonics environment (implied by technology area).
• Must-have: Knowledge of SPC, DOE, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and root cause analysis.
• Must-have: Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, good written and verbal communication, and ability to work independently and in multidisciplinary teams.
• Must-have: Competent PC user (including Microsoft Office) and experience with process/data analysis tools.
• Must-have: Ability to work in a cleanroom and follow safety protocols; flexibility to work standard weekday hours and shifts if required.
• Nice-to-have: Experience in photonics, compound semiconductors, MEMS, optoelectronics or silicon photonics.
• Nice-to-have: Knowledge of manufacturing execution systems (MES) and photonic integrated circuit manufacture.
• Nice-to-have: Previous experience in high‑technology manufacturing, equipment qualification and process transfer.

Education Requirements

HNC/HND, Bachelor's, Master's or PhD (or equivalent industrial experience) in Semiconductor Technology, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline. The posting explicitly allows equivalent industrial experience in lieu of a formal degree.

About the Company

Company: Lumentum

Headquarters: Milpitas, California, United States

Lumentum develops optical and photonic products and subsystems for telecommunications, data centers, cloud computing and industrial applications, providing lasers, modulators, transceivers and test solutions that enable high-speed networking and advanced photonics.