Process Engineer (CVD / Thin-Film Semiconductor)

About Nexstrom

Nexstrom is a Singapore-based deep-tech company building the materials foundation for the next era of semiconductors. Silicon is approaching its physical limits, and the industry's path forward runs through atomically thin 2D semiconductors — materials that until now have lived in research labs, not fabs.

Nexstrom is closing that gap: we grow single-crystal 2D semiconductor wafers on production-ready tools that we built, turning demonstrated lab results into manufacturable technology. We're a small team of scientists and engineers working at the frontier of materials science, and we're looking for people who want to help take a new class of semiconductors from lab to fab.

Who are we looking for?

You've spent meaningful time in a research lab, pilot line, or cleanroom — running equipment that was custom-built or research-grade, where there's no manual to flip to when something drifts.

Whether that was on a production line or during thesis work, you've started building the instinct for noticing when a process value is quietly moving before it becomes a real problem, and you keep meticulous records because you know today's anomaly might be tomorrow's insight.

You're the person who helps write the SOP, not just the one who follows it — and you're ready to grow into that ownership, taking it on fully within your first six months.

Responsibilities

1. Process Ownership & Continuous Improvement

• Take on root-cause investigation whenever output falls outside customer specification, from first hypothesis to resolution, with increasing independence as you learn our tool.
• Diagnose likely root causes of process drift and drive the resulting recipe or parameter adjustments.
• Lead the effort to refine SOPs and build the operational playbook as process understanding matures.
• Talk through trickier anomalies with teammates to jointly narrow down the root cause.

2. Furnace Operation & Process Execution

• Operate and maintain our CVD system for 2D semiconductor wafer growth, including routine maintenance, calibration and troubleshooting.
• Execute and continuously refine growth runs against evolving process recipes.
• Monitor real-time process parameters including temperature, gas flow and pressure, and catch deviations before they affect output.
• Ensure output wafers consistently meet customer specifications.
• Follow and help strengthen safety procedures for cleanroom operation and process-gas handling.

3. Process Monitoring & Data Tracking

• Maintain detailed logs of process runs, parameter trends and equipment behaviour.
• Track and report drift or anomalies in equipment and process performance.
• Compare run-to-run data to spot patterns relevant to process stability.

4. Cross-functional Support

• Partner with teammates on run scheduling and priorities.
• Clearly communicate process status, issues and risks to the team, translating raw data into a clear narrative.
• Support wafer qualification timelines so deliveries meet customer commitments.

Ideal Profile

• 3–5 years of hands-on CVD or comparable thin-film/vacuum process experience with a Bachelor's degree; or
• A Master's degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physics or a related field, backed by a research-intensive thesis or capstone project involving hands-on experimental work, ideally in thin-film deposition or growth.
• Track record, in a research or production setting, of independently taking an equipment or process issue from first symptom to root cause to resolution — not just executing steps someone else diagnosed.
• Careful and organised, with an established habit of tracking and comparing process data and trends over time.
• Sharp eye for small deviations — proactively flags and investigates anything that looks off without needing to be told.
• Demonstrated judgment distinguishing real process drift from background noise.
• Comfortable operating without a fully mature SOP; motivated to help build the playbook rather than just follow one.
• Reliable and detail-oriented, with care for delivering output that meets customer specifications.
• Collaborative and generous with help — genuinely enjoys supporting teammates when they're stuck, not just focused on their own tasks.
• Comfortable with direction changing a few times a week as we learn — through frequent check-ins, you re-align quickly rather than getting frustrated by the shift.
• Growth-oriented mindset — actively seeks feedback, learns from mistakes and keeps building new skills rather than settling into a fixed routine.

Bonus

• Direct experience with CVD/ALD process development, characterisation or troubleshooting.
• Prior experience mentoring or guiding less experienced technicians/operators.
• Prior cleanroom or process-gas safety training.
• Flexible about when you work. We don't run fixed shifts, but in the weeks leading up to a customer sample delivery we coordinate as a team to keep the furnace running. Occasionally, that means starting early, finishing late or covering a weekend day, with time taken back afterwards. The role remains 40 working hours a week.

Why Join Nexstrom

“To change what’s possible, we have to question the limits we’ve accepted.” — Dr. Lance Li, Co-Founder

• Nobody has solved this yet. Growing 2D materials on 12-inch wafers at yields a fab will accept is an open problem the whole industry needs answered — and we are close.
• Real hardware, real wafers, real partners. We shipped commercial wafers in 2026. You will not be building slideware.
• Semiconductor industry depth. Our team and advisors bring experience from TSMC, imec and Applied Materials. In a team our size, you work with them directly, not through three layers.
• Well-backed. Nexstrom is backed by Xora Innovation, SEEDS Capital and Foothill Ventures, with US$15M raised.
• Competitive package with AWS, performance bonus, medical and insurance coverage.