Plasma Dry-Etching (ICP/ RIE) & Ash Process Engineer

About our group:

At Seagate our mission is to build the world’s best data storage devices. The Advanced Transducer Development group is a global R&D organization that develops new recording head technologies to advance areal density and enable Seagate’s HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 4 year+ product roadmap. Our process team uses state-of-the-art wafer fabrication tools and cleanroom facilities to innovate and deliver leading-edge writers and read sensors. With an emphasis on proving feasibility of new devices, processes and materials, we help build Seagate’s future time-to-market leadership. If you are excited by innovative technology development, are naturally creative, and passionate about seeing ideas come to life then this could be a perfect fit to your research and development career.

About the role - you will:

We are seeking an experienced Plasma Dry-Etching Process Engineer with expertise in Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) and Asher Systems. In this hands-on role, you will work with state-of the-art Plasma Dry-etching and Plasma Ash platforms to developing robust and manufacturable processes, partnering closely with integration, device, and manufacturing teams to deliver high-quality, production ready solutions to support our product roadmap. This role is critical to enabling precise pattern transfer, high material selectivity, and best in class device performance to develop novel, scalable methods to integrate next generation metal and dielectric thin film structures into nanometer scale devices. You will also play a key role in collaborating with equipment vendors and academic partners to identify new opportunities and advanced integration techniques. These efforts will help shape Seagate’s future process technologies and evolve our manufacturing lines to accelerate delivery of next generation HDD products. This is a full-time, on-site position, working 39 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop, characterize, and optimize RIE, ICP and plasma ash processes for wide range of applications.
• Design and tune process recipes to achieve target etch rates, profiles, uniformity, critical dimension control, and material selectivity.
• Support pattern transfer challenges for advanced device architectures at the nanoscale.
• Process owner for multiple ICP , RIE and Plasma Ash tools to ensure process stability and repeatability
• Diagnose and resolve process excursions and hardware-related issues in collaboration with equipment suppliers and maintenance teams.
• Support tool qualification, acceptance testing, and process transfers.
• Utilize metrology and characterization techniques such as SEM, AFM, ellipsometry, and profilometry to characterize patterned features.
• Maintain thorough documentation of processes, results, and best practices.
• Partner with lithography, deposition, integration, and device engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of etch and ash steps into the overall fabrication flow.
• Participate in technology transfers to the product development engineering team
• Manage and analyse datasets to correlate experimental results with device performance and reliability.
• Contribute to Seagate’s IP portfolio in the form of invention disclosures, patents, trade secrets, peer-reviewed journal articles, and/or white papers.

About you:

• You are self-motivated, intellectually curious, able to work independently and have a strong attention to detail.
• You are an honest and respectful team player, capable of working in strong partnership with a diverse global group of engineers and technicians
• You are a well-organized multitasker, able to balance day-to-day wafer processing needs with longer-term development work
• You maintain thorough documentation of results and can clearly present and discuss them with other staff members in engineering and management forums
• You have a track record of innovation and regularly use outside sources (journals, patents, university projects and conferences) to inspire new ideas and directions
• You are able and eager to work in a mix of clean room and laboratory environments

Your experience includes:

• PhD or Master’s degree in Materials Science, Physics, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Greater than three years, hands-on experience working on Plasma Dryetching ( ICP and/or RIE) and/or Ash processes in semiconductor or wafer fabrication.
• Comprehensive understanding of plasma etching, plasma-surface interactions, etch chemistries and process control fundamentals.
• Experience using semiconductor metrology tools (e.g., SEM, AFM, ellipsometry) is highly desirable.

If you hold a MSc, this role “does not meet” the criteria set by the Home Office for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Visa route; therefore, visa sponsorship cannot be offered. You must have full Right to Work Documentation to work in the UK.If you hold a PhD, the role “does meet” the criteria, and visa sponsorship can be offered.

Please note that you must demonstrate on the application how you meet the criteria for the role as identified above. To facilitate shortlisting, the company reserves the right to apply enhanced criteria.

Completed applications should be submitted no later than midnight on Sunday 6th December 2026.

At Seagate we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. To see all vacancies that Seagate has available, please sign up - Register your interest in career updates with our Talent Network and to be considered for future opportunities.

Seagate Technology is committed to equal opportunity in employment and welcomes applications from all sections of the community irrespective of sex, marital status, religious affiliation, age, disability or ethnic origin. The Company specifically welcomes applications from the protestant community who are currently underrepresented in this job category. All applications will be considered strictly on the basis of merit.

Location:

Our Springtown site is Derry/Londonderry’s largest manufacturer, we’re proud that Seagate is a flexible and inclusive place to work. We have more than 1,400 employees spanning research and development, manufacturing, and many other functions.

Here at work, you can grab breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks at our subsidized on-site cafe.

Looking for an active break from your workday? We’ve got you covered. Take a group or individual exercise class during lunch or after work at our on-site gym.

Network with your colleagues through the Young Professionals Network, Women’s Leadership Group, the Carers Café (for caregivers of individuals with disabilities), Volunteer in the community with our support! Join our creative network, which includes a choir, foreign language classes and even a cookery class!

Join our Employee Resource Groups (ERG), a voluntary, employee-led community built on a shared diversity identity and/or an appreciation of that identity, open to ALL current employees at Seagate!

See list below of many of our Springtown Company Benefits:

• Health - Private Healthcare, for employees and dependents, Company sick pay and medical leave, Occupational healthcare service, Employee assistance programmes, Group income protection and On-site gym/ exercise classes / personal trainer.
• Work Life Balance - Annual leave, Flexible working hours, Part-time working, Enhanced maternity pay, Enhanced paternity pay, Bereavement leave.
• Finance - Pension - employer contributory scheme, Life assurance, Employee stock purchase plan, Competitive base pay, Company bonus scheme, Reward and recognition, Employee savings scheme, Perks at work discount programmes, Employee discount scheme, Pay for civil / jury duty.
• Career - Degree / non degree assistance Externally accredited training and development opportunities, Service awards, LinkedIn learning, Learning & development programmes.

Location: Springtown, United Kingdom

Travel: None