Staff Engineer - CMP Advanced NAND

About the role

Micron is hiring a Staff Engineer for its CMP Advanced NAND team, which works on next-generation NAND research and development dry etch. The engineer develops and optimizes chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) procedures to improve product quality and reliability for Micron's memory parts, and owns the process roadmap to meet program and yield goals. The role involves close work with process integration and other process areas such as wet etch, CVD, diffusion, metals, lithography and dry etch.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and optimize CMP procedures, including fundamental research, consumables development, hardware evaluation and testing of novel applications
• Manage experiments to widen process margins and evaluate manufacturability of next-node solutions
• Collaborate with vendors to develop processes that meet integration requirements for current and next-generation 3D NAND nodes
• Incorporate best-known manufacturing methods into early development of upcoming nodes
• Design and implement advanced process monitoring and control methodologies
• Lead complex, multi-functional projects and advise management on significant technical issues; contribute to patents and technical papers
• Mentor new hires and less experienced colleagues on CMP fundamentals, process development and Micron systems
• Work with Procurement and Operations teams and drive quality, yield, cost and productivity improvement initiatives

Required profile

• MSc or PhD with 5-10 years, or Bachelor's with 7-12 years, of relevant experience in the semiconductor industry
• Background in CMP process development on 300 mm wafers
• Experience developing CMP processes for dielectrics or metals on 3D NAND or other memory technology
• Strong communication, collaboration and mentoring skills, and proven ability to manage multiple projects

Required skills

• Hands-on experience operating CMP equipment such as AMAT LKP, EBARA-300X and next-generation CMP tools
• Optical metrology, profilometry, polishing slurries, conditioners and polishing pads
• Understanding of integration and structural constraints related to film deposition and upstream/downstream processes
• Desirable: knowledge of planar and vertical NAND process flows, and interest in data science, modelling and AI-enabled workflow optimization