Supporting R&D activities on Wafer Grinding and CMP

Miniaturization of system size is a driving force in most electronics applications. The continuous scaling of IC’s, and the advent of more compact system integration technologies make this possible. Within its affiliation programs and bilateral initiatives, imec contributes to the state of the art in a significant manner. Thanks to recent advances in 3D integration, wafer-level packaging and MEMS, novel types of components with small form factors and an increased number of functionalities are emerging. These novel components also require new packaging solutions. To support the growing interest in these activities, we are looking for an R&D Engineer for Wafer Grinding. 

What you will do

Wafer grinding is a device fabrication step during which the wafer thickness is reduced to allow stacking and high-density packaging of integrated circuits (IC’s).

You will be a member of the Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) team at imec, that is responsible for developing processes requested by the process integration departments running imec’s CORE and CMORE programs. The CMP team currently consists of ~12 people with whom you will interact on a daily basis. You will work in a dynamic multidisciplinary environment in close cooperation with researchers, scientists, hardware engineers, device and process experts, equipment vendors, industrial assignees and operators.

As a specialist in your field, you will be responsible for developing, optimizing, maintaining and documenting high-end grinding processes on state-of-the-art equipment.

More specifically, your tasks include: 

• Start-up of new Grinding and CMP equipment in the 300mm cleanroom.
• Design, conduct and analyse your experiments.
• Actively contribute to the research and joint development programs with external partners. You will drive and define these JDP activities for the new tool sets, new materials, new metrology tools and methodologies.
• Work cross-functionally with the integration/process support/hardware teams and industrial partners.
• Report about your work to internal and external partners, and via conference / journal publications.
• Monitor industry trends and innovations, applying scientific knowledge and adapting to imec research programs and activities.
• Interface with device engineers and researchers to identify the future needs and trends.
• Coordinate and implement the non-standard work in IMEC’s 300mm fab organization together with fab process engineers and the pilot line. This includes coordination of the transfer of developed processes and tools to support and operational teams.

You will be coached on-the-job by senior colleagues and the CMP team leader.

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow. 

We are proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process, not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth. 

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a competitive salary with many fringe benefits.

Who you are

• You have a Ph.D degree in Chemistry, Materials Science or Engineering, or you are a Master of Science or Industrial Engineering. Proven experience in the field of grinding and CMP is an asset but not mandatory.
• You will require a strong capability to work independently with a high focus on quality.
• You will actively participate in cross-functional teams, utilizing scientific and engineering skills to enhance the team’s capability.
• You have good communication skills since you will work with a multicultural mix of imec researchers, partners and customers. Prior experience in customer relations in an asset.
• You are a team player with good networking skills. You also have good reporting skills. 
• Since your job consists of a variety of activities, depending on the interactions with imec’s research programs and customers, a flexible attitude towards your tasks is required.
• Given the international character of imec, good knowledge of (spoken and written) English is a must.