Electro Mechanical Engineer

Electromechanical Engineer

Springfield, VA(onsite)

Contract

Job Description & Skill Requirement:

Key Responsibilities

Design 300 mm wafer chucks including vacuum chucks, edge‑grip mechanisms, compliant fingers, and kinematic supports.

Perform stress, deformation, and warp accommodation modeling to ensure ultra‑low wafer stress during handling.

Develop motion mechanisms for raise/lower (Z‑axis) and edge‑grip actuation that prevent wafer damage and meet precision requirements.

Ensure all designs meet ISO Class 1 cleanroom particle generation specifications and support high‑volume, 24/7 fab operation.

Select appropriate low‑outgassing, non‑particulating materials (e.g., PEEK, Vespel, Alumina, DLC, etc.) and coatings suitable for semiconductor tools.

Work with controls engineers on soft‑landing, jerk‑limited motion profiles, and closed‑loop sensing for wafer presence, alignment, and force control.

Conduct FEA simulations for thin‑wafer stress, contact mechanics, modal behavior, and static/dynamic loads.

Perform particle testing, vacuum leak testing, wafer stress validation, and endurance testing.

Generate engineering documentation: DFMEA, test plans, tolerance stackups, and SEMI/ISO compliance documents.

Collaborate with cross‑functional teams (systems, electronics, materials, manufacturing) for prototype builds and tool integration.

Skill Requirements

Technical Skills

• 300 mm wafer handling design (edge‑grip, vacuum, kinematic support)
• Precision chuck design & compliant mechanisms
• FEA (ANSYS, Abaqus, COMSOL) — stress, modal, and contact analysis
• Modeling warped/bowed wafers, thin‑plate mechanics
• Cleanroom design principles – ISO Class 1, low‑particle mechanisms
• Vacuum system design, leak‑tight sealing, He‑leak testing

Material selection for semiconductor tools:

• PEEK, Vespel, PTFE, PPS
• Alumina, Aluminum Nitride, Ti‑6Al‑4V
• Hard anodize, DLC, TiN, Parylene coatings

Motion system design:

• Linear motors, voice‑coil actuators, pneumatic micro‑actuators
• Flexures, guides, cross‑roller bearings
• Jerk‑limited (S‑curve) motion and soft‑landing control
• Edge‑grip mechanism design with low clamping forces
• Tolerance analysis, GD&T, DFMEA, DOE
• Semiconductor standards familiarity: SEMI M1, M49, E57, E84, ISO 14644

Metrology & Testing Skills

• Warp, bow, TTV measurement techniques
• Particle measurement and contamination control
• Vacuum integrity tests (helium mass spectrometer, pressure decay)
• Wafer alignment and edge detection sensors (optical/capacitive)
• Reliability testing for 24/7 fab duty

Software Skills

• CAD: SolidWorks, Creo, NX
• Simulation tools: ANSYS/Abaqus/COMSOL
• Data tools: MATLAB, Python
• Motion/controls: Beckhoff TwinCAT, Siemens/Omron PLCs

Soft Skills

• Strong cross‑functional collaboration
• Root cause analysis (8D, 5‑Whys, Ishikawa)
• Clear documentation & communication
• Ownership and design‑for‑reliability mindset