Senior Surface Chemistry & Interface Engineer

About our group:

The Mechanical Process Development organization plays a critical role in advancing recording head fabrication technologies that enable higher hard disk drive capacity, improved performance, and long-term reliability.

Within this organization, the Advanced Surface Engineering team focuses on surface science, interface engineering, advanced process development, and materials characterization. The team develops robust thin-film integration and contamination control solutions across recording head fabrication processes, bridging fundamental surface chemistry with high-volume manufacturable technologies.

This highly collaborative team partners closely with design, process integration, characterization, manufacturing, equipment engineering, and global development teams to translate advanced materials and chemistry concepts into next generation recording solutions.

This role offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge cleanroom technologies, collaborate with leading equipment and chemical suppliers, and contribute directly to future recording head technology roadmaps.

About the role - you will:

• Develop and optimize advanced surface cleaning, conditioning, and atomic layer etching (ALE) processes to improve recording head topography and enable ADC/CFR performance gains.
• Investigate ultra-thin-film coatings and engineered interfaces with emphasis on adhesion, surface energetics, contamination behavior, and interfacial stability.
• Design and execute experiments using DOE, statistical analysis, and data-driven methodologies to understand interactions among surface chemistry, precursor behavior, and process conditions.
• Support development and integration of advanced processes including IBD, IBE, ALD, and ALE, with focus on precursor–surface interactions and the impact of upstream surface preparation on downstream process performance.
• Utilize advanced analytical and surface characterization techniques such as XPS, XRF, AFM, and related metrology methods to evaluate chemistry, contamination, morphology, and interface quality.
• Lead and support cross-functional process integration activities to ensure successful module interaction, process robustness, and transfer into manufacturing environments.
• Perform structured root-cause investigations of yield, defectivity, reliability, and contamination issues using FMEA and systematic engineering approaches.
• Collaborate with equipment vendors and chemical suppliers on process development, troubleshooting, tool qualification, and capability expansion.
• Contribute to the development of new process concepts and technical innovations in surface science, precursor chemistry, contamination control, and advanced cleanroom processing aligned with future technology roadmaps.
• Partner closely with global engineering and manufacturing teams, including process transfer and technical collaboration with teams in Asia.

About you:

• Strong foundation in surface science, interface chemistry, and materials fundamentals, with the ability to connect first principles understanding to engineering execution.
• Demonstrated ability to apply scientific fundamentals to complex process development and integration challenges.
• Experience or strong technical interest in ALD/ALE chemistry, including precursor interactions, surface reactions, and process impacts on thin-film and interface quality.
• Familiarity with advanced surface characterization and metrology techniques, with the ability to critically interpret data and drive engineering decisions.
• Self-motivated and capable of independently driving technical investigations in a highly collaborative environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a passion for innovation and development of new process concepts.
• Effective communicator capable of translating complex technical findings into actionable engineering direction.
• Comfortable working across global teams and supporting process transfer into manufacturing operations.

Your experience includes:

• Industry or research experience in surface science, interface engineering, thin-film processing, or wet chemical processing.
• Exposure to or hands-on experience with ALD, ALE, or related thin-film deposition and etch technologies, including precursor chemistry and surface reactions.
• Experience with advanced characterization and metrology techniques such as:
  • XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy)
  • XRF (X-ray Fluores