What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Equipment & Process Engineer position at Translarity, Inc.?
About the Company:
Translarity is a growing leader in the semiconductor test industry, delivering innovative wafer test solutions that power technology shaping our digital world. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, with operations in California, Texas, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, we serve leading semiconductor manufacturers and their global supply chain partners.
Our mission is to revolutionize semiconductor wafer testing through innovation and excellence. With over 100 patents and a focus on full-wafer testing, we provide solutions that combine low cost, high performance, and fast cycle times using cutting-edge MEMS probe technology. Join our dynamic and growing team as we continue to address the evolving needs of the semiconductor industry.
What is a Probe Card?
A probe card is a critical component in semiconductor testing, acting as the interface between automated test equipment and the semiconductor wafer. These assemblies often include complex multi-layer PCBs with tens of thousands of routed traces and thousands of discrete components, supporting mixed-signal, high-speed, RF, and power-delivery paths. Precision and electrical integrity are essential for accurate wafer-level testing.
Position Summary
The Senior Equipment & Process Engineer is responsible for the end‑to‑end ownership of manufacturing equipment and processes across multiple toolsets, including plating, lithography, laser processing, electrical test, sputtering, etch, and thermal processing (RTP). This role ensures equipment uptime, process stability, production support, and documentation control, while driving continuous improvement in yield, reliability, safety, and cost. The engineer serves as the technical bridge between Equipment Engineering, Process Engineering, and Production, providing hands‑on support on the manufacturing floor and owning SOPs, work instructions, and process documentation.
Key Responsibilities
1. Equipment Ownership & Maintenance
- Own assigned manufacturing equipment and associated utilities (chillers, CDA, vacuum, gas delivery, exhaust).
- Ensure tools are qualified, calibrated, and production‑ready at all times.
- Develop and execute preventive maintenance (PM) plans to minimize downtime.
- Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, vacuum, thermal, and software‑related equipment issues.
- Coordinate external vendor service, spare parts strategy, and tool lifecycle planning.
2. Process Development & Sustainment
- Develop, optimize, and sustain manufacturing processes to meet yield, quality, and throughput targets.
- Create, maintain, and update Work Instructions (WIs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistent, compliant, and efficient manufacturing processes
- Establish and control process windows, recipes, and operating parameters.
- Support new product introduction (NPI), process transfers, and process changes.
- Drive root cause investigations using structured methodologies (8D, CAPA, data analysis).
3. Production Support
- Provide real‑time engineering support to production to resolve equipment or process excursions.
- Partner with Production, Quality, and Facilities teams to maintain safe and stable operations.
- Participate in yield review meetings, MRB discussions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Support shift coverage and flexible schedules as needed to maintain production continuity.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field; 5 years in semiconductor or advanced manufacturing.
- Hands-on experience with manufacturing equipment (e.g., plating, lithography, sputtering, etch, RTP) and strong troubleshooting skills.
- Proven ability to develop, optimize, and sustain processes in a high-volume production environment.
- Experience with SOPs/WIs, preventive maintenance, and root cause analysis (e.g., 8D, CAPA).