Position Summary
The Director of Etch Operations provides executive and technical leadership across all Dry/Wet Etch module engineering, manufacturing operations, equipment installation, and yield optimization activities.
This role is responsible for driving fab-wide operational excellence, tool overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), scrap reduction, and new technology integration (NPI). Acting as a senior business leader, the incumbent leads a multi-tiered team of managers, engineers, and technicians while maintaining strategic alignment with executive leadership, R&D, and Tier-1 equipment vendors.
Executive Leadership & Operational Strategy
- Provide strategic direction and daily operational oversight for all Etch module operations (Dry Plasma Etch, Conductor/Dielectric Etch, Wet Clean/Strip).
- Drive module performance KPIs, focusing on tool availability, mean time between failures (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTTR), cycle time, and cost of ownership (CoO).
- Oversee fab ramp initiatives, greenfield cleanroom hookups, and tool acceptance testing (ATP) for capacity expansion programs.
- Act as the final escalation point for severe tool downtime, process excursions, and yield-impactful hardware failures.
Yield Enhancement, Quality & Continuous Improvement
- Partner with Process Integration, Yield, and Quality teams to drive root-cause elimination of defect density issues using 8D, FMEA, and Advanced Process Control (APC/SPC) models.
- Direct continuous improvement projects (CIP) to reduce chemical, gas, and spare parts consumption.
- Enforce strict quality governance, standard operating procedures (SOP), and Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHSS) compliance across all Etch bays.
Technology Transfer & Vendor Management
- Spearhead process transfer and qualification from R&D into high-volume manufacturing (HVM).
- Manage high-level relationships and service-level agreements (SLAs) with primary Etch equipment OEMs (e.g., Lam Research, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, AMEC).
- Evaluate vendor engineering change orders (ECOs), hardware upgrades, and joint technical development initiatives.
Financial & Talent Management
- Manage departmental OPEX and CAPEX budgets, parts inventory (BOM), and resource allocation.
- Build, mentor, and scale an engineering leadership pipeline; foster a culture of technical rigor, accountability, and innovation.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or equivalent.
- 12–15+ years of progressive engineering and operations experience within semiconductor wafer fabs or Tier-1 Etch equipment OEMs.
- At least 5+ years in a senior management capacity (Manager of Managers / Director level).
- Deep Technical Expertise in Etch Sub-systems: Direct experience in conductor/dielectric plasma etch platforms, RF power generators, vacuum/foreline systems, gas distribution, and endpoint detection technologies.
