Plasma Physics Process Lead – Eindhoven

Role description

You will own plasma physics and process development for a new semiconductor thin-film deposition platform. You will work on understanding and controlling the plasma, mapping how plasma conditions impact deposited film properties, and defining the process windows needed to take the platform from proof of concept to a fab-ready deposition process.

You will be responsible for characterizing the plasma discharge, defining the KPIs and parameters that matter for repeatability and scale-up, and applying your plasma physics expertise to understand how source design and plasma behavior influence the properties of the deposited film. You will apply those insights to guide full-system architecture decisions alongside the CTO, source engineers, materials engineers, and mechanical engineers.

This position is in an early-stage startup environment. You should be ready for ambiguity, tight schedules, shifting priorities, rapid iteration, working directly alongside the CTO, and assuming wider responsibility for decisions that shape the final product-market fit.

Visa: Visa sponsorship is available

Equity: ESOP available, will be discussed individually

Work arrangement: 4 days on-site, 1 day hybrid

Work location: Eindhoven (High Tech Campus)

Salary range: €100k to €130k gross per year

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the plasma side of the discharge-geometry loop.
• Own plasma discharge characterization and performance optimization for a semiconductor thin-film deposition platform.
• Define process windows, critical KPIs, and the scaling path for repeatability under fab-relevant conditions.
• Map plasma behavior to deposited film properties across all deposition modes.
• Directly impact source design and manage plasma physics, together with the CTO and source engineers.
• Collaborate with materials and mechanical engineering teams to drive full-system architectural decisions.
• Engage directly with semiconductor equipment OEMs and fab partners to establish process-level technical requirements.
• Contribute to the IP strategy around the source and plasma process.

Main requirements

• PhD in plasma physics, applied physics, or a closely related field (or MSc with an equivalent 5+years industrial track record).
• Strong industrial background in plasma physics, with an emphasis on real-world hardware constraints.
• Deep, first-principles understanding of plasma physics: sheath dynamics, beam extraction and transport, neutralization, plasma-surface interactions, and energy/angular distributions.
• Practical experience translating plasma behavior into process outcomes, including film composition, density, stress, uniformity, and defects.
• Hands-on experience with plasma diagnostics and interpreting complex measurement data: Langmuir probes, RGA, optical emission spectroscopy, and Faraday cups.
• Fluent English

Other requirements

• Experience with high-performance plasma systems, such as electric propulsion, fusion, or advanced ion sources.

Nice to have, but not mandatory

• Experience with high-power ion sources.
• Experience with ion beam sputter deposition (IBSD), ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD), and dual ion beam sputtering (DIBS).
• Understanding of thin-film characterization metrology: ellipsometry, AFM, XPS, XRR, XRD, SEM, TEM, TOF-SIMS, electrical test, thermal test.
• Previous experience scaling a plasma process from lab to pilot or production.
• Practical experience with semiconductor equipment, thin-film deposition, or vacuum process tools on a system-level.
• Experience with writing patents and IP strategy.

Benefits

• Support with relocation to Eindhoven (within reason)