Engineer in Plasma Dry Etching and Nanofabrication

ICFO is offering a Staff Research Engineer position to an experienced engineer with extensive expertise in plasma-based dry etching and nanofabrication. The successful candidate will be responsible for process development, operation, maintenance, user training, and technical support of Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etching (ICP-RIE) and Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) equipment within the Nanofabrication Laboratory (NFL) at ICFO.

Key responsibilities:

Develop and optimize dry etching processes for dielectric, semiconductor, and metallic materials.

Operate and maintain ICP-RIE and RIE systems.

Train and support internal and external users.

Develop new process recipes and characterization methodologies.

Troubleshoot equipment and process-related issues.

Collaborate with academic and industrial users in device fabrication projects.

Candidates must hold, at the time of contract initiation, a PhD in Materials Science, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Microelectronics, Nanotechnology, or a related discipline.

We are looking for candidates with demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas:

Plasma processing.

Reactive Ion Etching (RIE).

ICP-RIE process development.

Thin-film deposition techniques (e.g., sputtering, evaporation, atomic layer deposition).

Semiconductor microfabrication.

Material and fabrication-process characterization.

Vacuum systems and technology.

Equipment operation, maintenance, and process troubleshooting.

Cleanroom operation and user support.

Experience with fluorine-, chlorine-, and argon-based plasma chemistries.

Experience with optical microscopy, mechanical and optical profilometry, ellipsometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

A proficiency in English is required. Knowledge of Spanish and/or Catalan is considered an advantage.

What We Offer

This is a full-time position.

The contract offered will be a permanent contract for scientific and technical activities (ACT).

A salary according to ICFO’s approved salary scales will be offered, commensurate with the level of the position and the candidate’s experience.

Suitable candidates are requested to submit:

Presentation letter with a declaration of interest,

Curriculum Vitae, including contact details,

The contact e-mail of two potential referees.

The selection process will follow open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment (OTM-R) principles. It will consist of:

1. Eligibility check of applications.

2. Assessment of merits (education, experience, and language).

3. Interview with shortlisted candidates.

Candidates may contact jobs@icfo.eu for formal enquiries regarding the application, as well as address scientific enquiries to joel.moser@icfo.es.

For updated information about ICFO, please visit https://www.icfo.eu.

Data Protection

In accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Organic Law 3/2018, ICFO informs applicants that their personal data will be processed exclusively for recruitment purposes.

Controller: Fundació ICFO – Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Av. Carl Friedrich Gauss 3, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona).

DPO: dpo@icfo.eu

Legal basis: performance of a task in the public interest.

Rights: access, rectification, erasure, restriction, and opposition.

Supervisory authority: Catalan Data Protection Authority (APDCAT) https://apdcat.gencat.cat.

All recruitment files will be retained in accordance with the Catalan public-sector archival retention schedule (DOGC 2117).

Reference: 1131

31st of August, 2026