PAY GRADE: 32E

CONTEXT OF THE JOB:

The University of Delaware (UD) is constructing a state-of-the-art Nanofabrication Facility as part of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory. Nanofabrication Facilities play a central and essential role in most modern science and engineering research programs as researchers from a wide variety of disciplines realize the opportunities available at the nanoscale. The primary objective of the facility is to enable UD to attract and retain top caliber faculty and to provide the infrastructure necessary to enable existing and new faculty and researchers in the tri-state area and beyond to undertake competitive research and development in the growing number of fields that rely on nanofabrication. The equipment used in nanofabrication is complex and requires extremely clean conditions. Obtaining the desired devices in a consistent and reproducible manner takes considerable skill. Under limited direction from the Nanofabrication Facility Manager, the Process Engineer is responsible for specifying, acquiring, installing, qualifying, operating, developing processes, and providing training on nanofabrication equipment. The engineer provides expert guidance to existing and prospective users on the materials and techniques best suited to meet their research needs. The engineer continually develops new processes to push the state of the art in order to attract and serve both internal and external customers. The Process Engineer is also expected to assist in proposal preparation including preliminary investigation and writing.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for the day to day supervision of the operation, maintenance, and training of the nanofabrication equipment housed in UDs Nanofabrication Facility.
• Works closely with academic and industrial users to advise and enable their research; acts as a resource for process flow planning and optimization.
• Develops, documents, and continuously improves nanofabrication processes and techniques to be incorporated by researchers into their work.
• Oversees training and demonstration of instrument operation procedures to UD undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral and other researchers, faculty members, and external users.
• Participates in the evaluation and selection of major new equipment.
• Plans, directs and organizes the installation and qualification of instruments.
• Identifies degradation of equipment performance compared to specifications and develops maintenance standards.
• Troubleshoots, maintains, and repairs defective instruments either using in-house resources or through manufacturers' service and assures minimum instrument downtime.
• Supervises and coordinates manufacturer service technicians during repair and maintenance procedures.
• Maintains personal competence and a broad knowledge of state-of-the-art nanofabrication techniques and equipment by involvement in professional activities, including attending conferences, user's meetings and training, reviewing papers, etc.
• Assists facility manager and other staff with the development and enforcing of safety and operational protocols.
• Coordinates the scheduling and tracks the usage of the nanofabrication equipment.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Masters degree in physics, engineering, or related field with at least six years of experience with nanofabrication equipment and processes. Ph.D. preferred. In-depth knowledge of the fundamentals as well as recent advances in the applications of nanofabrication techniques.
• Strong mechanical inclination and troubleshooting skills. Ability to coordinate technical personnel to effect repairs and maintenance of complex equipment.
• Strong attention to detail, persistence, follow through, and the ability to work with minimal supervision.
• High energy, self-motivated with strong communication skills and personal work ethic, and a strong sense of ownership.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a wide variety of personnel at multiple levels of expertise.
• Project management skills to prioritize and organize work, analyze and solve problems, and make sound decisions.
• Competence in investigation, analysis and logic to coordinate scientific research.
• Broad nanofabrication experience in terms of both process development and equipment troubleshooting/maintenance/repair.
• Experience with specifying, purchasing, installing, and qualifying a wide range of nanofabrication equipment (lithography, deposition, etch, metrology, inspection).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• The work environment requires extensive safety training, wearing protective equipment, handling of chemicals and hazardous gases, and includes exposure to moving machinery and high noise levels.
• The position involves the use of tools requiring high dexterity and requires standing, bending, crouching, stooping, and occasionally lifting 25-50 lbs.