Senior Process Engineer - Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)
About the role
Senior Process Engineer responsible for the health and performance of production PVD modules, developing and qualifying thin-film deposition processes for superconducting quantum processors, and driving continuous improvement with data-driven decisions.
Responsibilities
- Own the process health and performance of assigned PVD modules through SPC, process monitoring, and data analysis.
- Develop, optimize, and qualify thin-film deposition processes for superconducting resonators, signal wiring, and interconnect structures — including qualification of new equipment, materials, and process technologies.
- Analyze process, metrology, and electrical characterization data to improve reproducibility and device performance.
- Lead root-cause investigations and implement corrective and preventive actions for process, equipment, and materials-related issues, including cross-functional coordination.
- Partner with facilities and equipment engineering to coordinate preventive maintenance, support equipment recovery, and lead process qualification following maintenance or repairs.
- Document process development activities, author and maintain standard operating procedures, and train process technicians on new processes and equipment operation.
- Growth/Stretch: Contribute to and set the technical roadmap for the process area, mentor engineers/technicians, and represent process engineering in cross-functional design and technical reviews.
Qualifications
- Master's degree with 4–6 years of relevant industry or research experience, or a PhD with 2+ years of relevant experience in Materials Science, Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
- Hands-on experience with PVD equipment (sputtering, e-beam, or thermal evaporation) and semiconductor fabrication processes; direct, sustained experience with 4-inch or 6-inch wafer processing.
- Strong working knowledge of vacuum systems and thin-film deposition processes, including diagnosing process or tool drift.
- Strong understanding of semiconductor fabrication processes and superconducting or semiconductor device physics.
- Experience with process development, experimental design (DOE), and engineering data analysis, with examples of using data to drive process decisions.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional engineering environment.
- Comfortable operating with real autonomy in a fast-paced R&D environment with evolving technical priorities.
Skills
Benefits
- Competitive salaries
- Equity
- Medical, dental, and vision
- 401(k) plan
- Paid parental leave
- Rejuvenation days
- Vacation policy aligned with local regulations and industry standards
About Rigetti Computing
Quantum coherent supercomputing.
Rigetti Computing is building the world’s most powerful computers to help solve humanity’s most pressing and important problems. These systems will perform computations that today’s fastest supercomputers are incapable of — unlocking entirely new classes of problems and offering a direct path to solutions. We are scientists, engineers, builders, and visionaries. We believe quantum computing is going to significantly affect health care, how we treat disease, how we generate energy, and how we feed humanity. Rigetti is the only company deploying full-stack solutions for hybrid classical/quantum computing. Our 19-qubit quantum computer is available online through our Forest platform, and the first commercially useful applications are already under exploration. We were founded in 2013 by Chad Rigetti, and are located Berkeley and Fremont, California.
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