Chemical Process Engineer

Staff Electrochemical Process Engineer

About Atomic Machines:

Atomic Machines is ushering in a new era in micromanufacturing with its Matter Compiler (MC) technology. The MC enables new classes of micromachines to be designed and built by offering manufacturing processes and a materials library that is inaccessible to semiconductor manufacturing methods. The MC promises to unlock MEMS manufacturing both for the many device classes that never could be made by semiconductor methods but also to open up entirely new classes. Furthermore, the MC is fully digital in the way 3D printing is digital, but where 3D printing produces parts of a single material using a single process, the MC is a multi-process, multi-material technology: bits and raw materials go in and complete, functional micromachines come out. The Atomic Machines team has also created an exciting first device – one that was only made possible by the existence of the Matter Compiler – that we will be unveiling to the world soon.

Our offices are in Berkeley and Santa Clara, California. This position is full-time and is located in our Berkeley location, reporting to the Director of Process Engineering.

About this Role:

We are seeking an experienced process engineer to design novel chemical-based fabrication workflows to manufacture market-defining commercial devices. In this role you will leverage your hands-on experience of electrochemical machining, chemical formulation, and materials characterization to develop high-performance microsystems. You will apply your first-principles understanding of electrochemistry and materials while championing design for manufacturing (DFM), incorporating a blend of conventional and novel etching and plating techniques. Candidates with experience in batteries and other energy storage or conversion devices will only be considered if they also possess proven experience in developing electrochemical processing methods, such as machining, etching, and plating. The ideal candidate is capable of carrying an electrochemical process through its entire life cycle from concept, to experimentation and prototyping, and then finally translating to our digital, autonomous manufacturing platform at scale.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and implement innovative electrochemical process technologies to advance the functional performance of novel microsystems and their packaging.
• Develop enabling new additive and subtractive techniques – e.g., leveraging combinations of electrochemical machining, deburring, polishing, anodizing, and electrochemical/electroless plating.
• Design chemical formulations, such as etchants and plating baths, involving acids, bases, and salts in solution, as well as additives that control side reactions.
• Develop advanced electrochemical techniques toward closed-loop learning and process control, such as CV, LSV, EIS, chronoamperometry, RDE, and QCM.
• Analyze, summarize, document, and report out developed procedures, experimental data, and key findings.
• Lead process development and process automation activities to inform system requirements for custom-built manufacturing tools.
• Guide and mentor teammates cross-functionally to integrate newly developed processes into high-mix, high-volume fabrication workflows.

What You'll Need:

• Disciplines of study preferred: Electrochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrochemistry, Materials Chemistry, or related fields.
• Proven record applying fundamental electrochemical principles to chemical formulation, etching, polishing, and plating for commercial applications.
• Hands-on lab experience designing, modifying, and operating electrolytic cells to perform electrochemical processes (candidates with experience solely in galvanic cells will not be considered).
• Ability to fine-tune electrochemical parameters (voltage, current, electrolyte composition) based on material-specific responses and desired surface finish.
• Experience using a variety of surface characterization techniques, such as SEM, EDS, EBSD, XRF, XPS, AFM, FTIR.
• Experience leading technical projects and mentoring other team members.
• Experience with chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is preferred.
• Experience with CAD software for 2D layouts is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree, 10 years of work experience. Master's degree preferred.