Cleanroom Process Engineer

Build the chips that power quantum computers, medical sensors, and tomorrow's security tech — in one of Europe's leading cleanroom facilities.

Job description

Europe is racing to become technologically independent in semiconductor manufacturing, and Delft is at the heart of this endeavour. The Else Kooi Laboratory exists to bridge academic research and industrial reality. Its core aim is to provide microfabrication capabilities that support excellence in research, enable customers to test concepts that may lead to business successes, up to and including small-scale production, and build a connection between academia and industrial innovation. The lab is designed to be flexible with respect to new materials and processes, while also striving for industry compatibility so that new technologies can be transferred to industry smoothly.

In practice, that covers a wide range of fields. Research currently running in EKL spans quantum computing, radiation detection, bionanotechnology, organ-on-chip, medical implants, photovoltaic cells, and heterogeneous integration. The lab offers sub-micrometer resolution lithography, thin film deposition and etching, bulk and surface micromachining, packaging, and assembly and can fully fabricate polymer-based, biocompatible and biodegradable devices as well.

As a Cleanroom Processing Engineer, you design, develop and produce chips and nanodevices. You work with researchers, PhD students, professors and industrial clients, turning their requirements into cleanroom processes. One morning you are fine-tuning an etch recipe for a quantum device; the next you are talking to a client about material choices for a medical sensor. The job takes technical depth, systematic thinking and project management.

If you have prior experience with lithography, etching, thin film deposition or metrology, in a lab or in industry, you have the skills that we are looking for.

Your core activities include:

• Operating and optimising cutting-edge cleanroom equipment for chip fabrication
• Advising clients on process choices, materials and design trade-offs
• Monitoring and improving production quality to meet the highest technical standards
• Training new users of the cleanroom
• Assisting in maintenance of cleanroom equipment
• Contributing to safety and ensuring that the lab stays a safe and compliant environment for everyone working in it
• Keeping meticulous process documentation
• Managing projects, e.g. timelines and expenditures

Job requirements

You need a BSc, MSc, or PhD in applied physics, materials science, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics or electrical engineering, combined with a genuine drive to master precision manufacturing at the nanoscale. Candidates with demonstrable semiconductor fabrication experience will be given priority. You are service-minded, methodical, proactive about spotting improvements, and comfortable bridging academic research and industrial practice. Good English communication skills are essential; Dutch is not required from day one, but a willingness to learn it is appreciated.

TU Delft as an employer

Delft University of Technology is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society.

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. The faculty works on technology such as the electricity grid, chips and sensors of the future, and the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment, including AI. It also pushes the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. There is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. It educates innovative engineers and offers excellent labs and facilities that underline its strong international position.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 1 year temporary with prospect of permanent
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages
• Flexible working week
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses
• Partially paid parental leave
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program