Sr. Process Engineer, Diffusion, Terafab

About the role

• Sr. Process Engineer, Diffusion, Terafab | Tesla (Terafab)
• Location: Austin, Texas | Req ID: 271015 | Job Type: Full-time
• What to Expect

Terafab is building a vertically integrated semiconductor factory at an unprecedented scale. The facility brings logic, memory, packaging, test, and lithography mask production under one roof, optimized for rapid iteration and maximum compute density per square foot.

Process engineering is the discipline that turns Terafab technology into reality, atom by atom. This role owns diffusion and thermal annealing across three distinct chip families: edge-inference processors, space-hardened data center SI chips for orbital satellites, and high-bandwidth memory. The engineer will develop and optimize dopant diffusion, oxidation, annealing, and related thermal processes while balancing junction profiles, dopant activation, thermal budgets, defectivity, and integration constraints across radically different product requirements.

This is a highly hands-on role requiring deep expertise in diffusion and thermal processing while collaborating closely with ion implantation, thin films, etch, CMP, metallization, photo, metrology, and integration teams in one of the most ambitious fab programs in the world.

What You'll Do

• Develop and qualify diffusion, oxidation, and rapid thermal annealing (RTA/RTP) processes, including dopant diffusion, junction formation, source/drain activation, channel doping, well implants, oxidation, and high-temperature anneals
• Optimize critical diffusion and thermal process outcomes: dopant profiles, junction depth, sheet resistance, dopant activation, defect annealing, thermal budget management, and stress control
• Own thermal/diffusion processes end-to-end: from tool installation and qualification through process window definition, recipe optimization, particle and contamination control, and HVM handoff
• Qualify diffusion and thermal tools from installation to production readiness, including furnace and RTP chamber matching, uniformity control, ambient control, and stability qualification
• Analyze process, dopant distribution, and device performance relationships using first-principles, physics-based approaches to understand diffusion mechanisms, transient enhanced diffusion (TED), and optimization strategies
• Lead root cause analysis for profile drift, defectivity, and device param shifts; establish inline metrology and SPC control strategies; and drive systematic yield improvement
• Support 24/7 manufacturing operations through rotations, on-call availability, and rapid response to critical production issues
• Drive development of next-generation thermal processes and annealing techniques for advanced nodes and specialized applications

What You'll Bring

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or equivalent experience Hands-on diffusion, thermal processing, or implant/anneal integration experience in a semiconductor fab, with strong focus on advanced logic or memory technologies
• Deep expertise in diffusion furnaces, RTP/RTA, spike anneals, and related tools
• Proven track record establishing Process of Record (POR) for diffusion and annealing steps at advanced nodes
• Proficiency with relevant metrology
• Strong Design of Experiments skills and statistical analysis capability
• Excellent collaboration skills with the ability to work proactively across ion implantation, thin films, integration, and equipment engineering teams
• Passion for ambitious, vertically integrated semiconductor programs and building high-performance compute technologies