Silicone Bonding Engineer

Silicone Bonding Engineer- NPD San Jose

Key Responsibilities:

Product and Process Development:

• Design, develop, and characterize silicone bonding and sealing processes (e.g., adhesive bonding, primer application, self-bonding, plasma/ corona treatment).
• Design and execute Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize process parameters for strength, durability, throughput, and cost.
• Establish critical process parameters and control limits.
• Collaborate with customer engineering teams to develop semiconductor in-chamber bonding solutions.
• Research and develop new materials for NPD projects, considering diverse customer requirements.
• Identify opportunities for new materials in our current processes and lead their development.
• Apply lean product development tools and principles to drive efficiency and value.
• Perform cost analysis of designs and support market research initiatives.

Material Selection & Evaluation:

• Evaluate and select appropriate silicone materials, adhesives, primers, and surface treatments for specific applications.
• Collaborate with material suppliers to test and qualify new materials and technologies.
• Understand the chemistry and cure kinetics of silicone adhesives (RTV, LSR, HCR) and their impact on the bonding process.
  
  

Technical Troubleshooting & Root Cause Analysis:

• Serve as the technical expert for troubleshooting bonding-related issues in both prototyping and manufacturing environments.
• Lead root cause analysis investigations for bond failures and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Address challenges related to contamination, surface energy, and environmental stress.
  
  

Validation & Documentation:

• Develop and execute process validation protocols for new or modified bonding processes.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation, including work instructions, standard operating procedures, engineering reports, and technical specifications.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with Design Engineers, Product Development, Quality Assurance, and Production teams to ensure design for manufacturability and successful product launches.
• Provide technical guidance and training to production technicians and operators.

Testing & Analysis:

• Develop test methods to characterize bond strength, durability and mechanical properties (e.g., lap shear, tensile, peel, thermal conductivity, electrical properties...).
• Analyze bond failure modes using various techniques including use of outside labs (e.g., ICP-MS, SEM-EDS, FTIR) to understand failure mechanisms.

Product and Process Design and Testing:

• Understand customer needs and design/research new materials and processes to meet them.
• Define product architecture and test requirements, specifying comprehensive test plans.
• Manage agency certifications for new products (UL, CE, CSA, VDE, etc.).
• Evaluate competitive products and propose new/alternative designs for our customers.
  
  

Quality Assurance:

• Conduct technical peer reviews and approve analyses of failed or returned materials.
• Define disposition criteria for non-conforming products and qualify new suppliers.
• Develop and improve supplier and subcontractor relationships.

Technical Support and Leadership:

• Provide training to sales personnel on product applications.
• Coach and mentor less experienced engineers, fostering knowledge sharing and professional growth.
• Lead major and minor projects, defining scope, objectives, and timelines.
• Utilize advanced systematic and creative problem-solving tools to address complex challenges.

What You'll Bring:

• Advanced technical expertise in silicone polymer chemistry and other bonding materials.
• Strong knowledge of bonding dissimilar material components together.
• Deep understanding of silicone chemistry, surface science, and adhesion mechanisms.
• Proven experience with surface treatment techniques (plasma, corona, chemical priming).
• The application and processing methods of bonding for silicone polymers.
• Knowledge of equipment that is used for testing and qualifying silicone polymers.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional projects and teams.
• Demonstrated understanding of financial aspects of projects, including value stream profitability.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills with both internal and external stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Material Science Engineer, Polymer Chemistry or other related engineer degree with 4 or more years of experience working in NPD/NPI.
• Experience with automation of dispensing, coating, or bonding processes.
• Hands-on experience with Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) and High Consistency Rubber (HCR) processing.
• Preferred: Experience working in the semiconductor industry