Senior Research Engineer - Process Development for Integrated Photonics Fabrication (all genders)

Join Silicon Austria Labs and drive innovation in Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC-) technology on the pilot lines within the framework of the European Chips Act!

SAL is seeking two experienced Senior Research Engineers leading process development for PICs and ensuring stable, repeatable fabrication processes. One position will primarily focus on Aluminum Nitride (AlN) PIC fabrication, and the other on Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) PIC fabrication 

Your future tasks include:

• PIC Fabrication & Development:Designing, fabricating, and testing PICs.
  • Platform Specialization: Focusing primarily on process development for either Aluminum Nitride (AlN) or Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) Platform.
• Technology ownership: Owning a platform flow (AlN or TFLN) and acting as a go-to person for fabrication topics, including coordination with cleanroom/process engineering and alignment with design/test needs. This includes mentoring and knowledge transfer, proactive risk/bottleneck identification and mitigation, and contributing to roadmap/benchmarking and experimental strategy.
• DOE- Driven process development:
  • Developing and integrating process modules for stable, repeatable fabrication, increasing
  • Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and pilot-line readiness.
  • Planning and executing Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize processes.
  • Driving process integration, stability, and performance improvements for scalable fabrication.
  • Defining Process windows
  • Performing data-driven root-cause analysis
• Fabrication: Hands-on work with key fabrication processes including lithography, deposition (PVD/ALD/PECVD), dry etch (ICP-RIE), metrology/SPC, and documentation/change control.
• Collaboration & Teamwork:
  • Working closely with SAL’s process engineering team.
  • Collaborating to ensure high fabrication fidelity.
  • Supporting industry and academic collaborations within multidisciplinary projects.
• Documentation & IP:
  • Reporting and thorough documentation of work.
  • Contributing to IP generation and patent applications.

Your profile:

• Education: PhD – or MSc with 5+ years relevant work experience – in applied physics or related fields focused on integrated photonics
• Technical Skills:
  • Proficiency in microfabrication, ideally related to PICs.
  • Hands-on cleanroom experience
• Soft Skills:
  • Strong organizational and documentation skills for technical reporting and IP generation
  • Ability to work collaboratively across teams
  • Autonomous, passionate, well organized, enjoy working in a dynamic and multicultural team
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (German is a plus)

Important Facts about SAL:

• Diverse research activities with many technical challenges.
• State-of-the-art laboratory facilities and equipment.
• Location in the heart of Europe in Austria – relocation support for non-European nationalities.
• Internal and external training opportunities for career development.
• Family & children friendly - actively shaping the compatibility of family and career.
• “Vital4SAL” to promote a healthy workplace (e.g. SAL coaching pool, trainings on mental health, physical activities, healthy snacks, 24/7 accident insurance)
• € 4 per day meal allowance in restaurants or € 2 per working day in supermarkets.
• Public transport initiative (subsidy for the “Klimaticket”)
• Our values: Open door policy, flexibility in working hours, casual dress code, diverse teams, working with people of different nationalities, informal communication, lifelong learning, compatibility of family and career, sustainability, personal growth, and collective advancement.

This position is subject to the Collective Agreement for employees in non-university research (Research CA) starting in occupational group E (E1 salary = EUR 4.056, paid 14 times a year) based on 38,5 hours per week). For this position we offer competitive salaries and additional benefits based on your experience and qualifications, starting with a minimum gross salary of EUR 65.000 (annual, based on an All-in contract).