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.
• Explore ambiguous, early-stage technical spaces where established knowledge is limited, applying first-principles thinking, disciplined experimentation, and creative problem solving to define new process directions.
• 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.
• Brings strong technical curiosity, initiative, and motivation to investigate emerging process or materials challenges where prior knowledge is limited and practical solutions must be developed through experimentation.
• 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:

• Hands-on experience developing, running, troubleshooting, or optimizing chemistry-driven surface, interface, thin-film, wet chemical, or plasma-based processes in a laboratory, cleanroom, or manufacturing environment.
• Direct hands-on experience with ALD, ALE, IBD, IBE, or related thin-film deposition and etch technologies, with strong preference for candidates who understand precursor chemistry, surface reactions, chemical delivery, and process impacts on film and interface quality.

• Experience with advanced characterization and metrology techniques such as:
• XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy)
• XRF (X-ray Fluorescence)
• AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy)
• Experience designing and analyzing experiments using DOE, statistical methodologies, and data-driven process optimization approaches.

• Hands-on experience supporting process integration in cleanroom or manufacturing environments, including process qualification, issue resolution, and technology transfer to production.

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Surface Science, Physics, or a closely related field; chemical or chemistry-focused background is preferred. Requires 5+ years of experience, or master’s degree with 3+ years’ experience, or PhD with 0+ years’ experience, or equivalent experience and education.

You Might Also Have

• Experience collaborating with equipment vendors or chemical suppliers for process development, troubleshooting, and qualification.
• Familiarity with precursor synthesis, formulation chemistry, or advanced chemical delivery systems.
• Experience with contamination control, nano-contamination mitigation, or defectivity reduction in high-precision manufacturing environments.
• Experience supporting or collaborating with manufacturing teams in Asia.
• Demonstrated innovation through patents, publications, technical leadership, or development of impactful process technologies.
• Evidence of technical influence, innovation drive, or leadership potential beyond assigned tasks, such as initiating new concepts, persuading others to explore uncertain opportunities, or building momentum around emerging technology directions.

Location:

Our Normandale campus spans two suburbs, Edina and Bloomington, and serves as the Recording Head development and manufacturing arm of Seagate. Located in the heart of a bustling community, Seagate offers an on-site café, or if you prefer, you can drive to one of many restaurants just minutes away. Need to grab a gift over lunch time? Shopping is abundant in the area. If working out is your thing, the on-site fully equipped fitness center hosts wellness programs, outdoor activities, tournaments and group workouts. Looking for something more laid back? Reset in one of our meditations rooms or simply take a walk around our indoor walking path. On-site cultural festivals, celebrations and community volunteer opportunities also abound.

The estimated base salary range for this position is $94,140.00 -$134,625.00. The individual salary is based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Seagate offers comprehensive benefits to its eligible employees, including, but not limited to, eligibility to participate in discretionary bonus program, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, short-and long-term disability, 401(k), employee stock purchase plan, health savings account, dependent care, and healthcare spending accounts. Seagate also offers paid time off, including 12 holidays, flexible time off provided pursuant to Seagate policy, a minimum of 48 hours of paid sick leave, and 16 weeks of paid parental leave. The benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year and may differ depending on work location.

Location: Normandale, United States

Travel: None