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Principal Foundry Engineer
Lattice · Austin, TX
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Lattice Overview
There is energy here…energy you can feel crackling at any of our international locations. It’s an energy generated by enthusiasm for our work, for our teams, for our results, and for our customers. Lattice is a worldwide community of engineers, designers, and manufacturing operations specialists in partnership with world-class sales, marketing, and support teams, who are developing programmable logic solutions that are changing the industry. Our focus is on R&D, product innovation, and customer service, and to that focus, we bring total commitment and a keenly sharp competitive personality.
Energy feeds on energy. If you flourish in a fast paced, results-oriented environment, if you want to achieve individual success within a “team first” organization, and if you believe you can contribute and succeed in a demanding yet collegial atmosphere, then Lattice may well be just what you’re looking for.
Job Description:
About the Role
Lattice Semiconductor is seeking a Staff/Principal Foundry Engineer to lead and manage the transfer and qualification of our products on Samsung 28FDS FD-SOI process technology. This role requires strong semiconductor process knowledge, device physics understanding, and the ability to drive cross-functional programs across Lattice internal teams. The ideal candidate operates with a high degree of autonomy, will serve as the primary interface between Lattice's distributed foundry engineering teams (US and Taiwan) and Samsung's Austin fab, ensuring process quality, yield, and reliability standards are met.
Key Responsibilities
Foundry Engagement & Program Management
Lead technical engagement with Samsung Austin (primary) and Samsung Korea teams; coordinate with Lattice foundry engineers across US and Taiwan sites
Drive foundry suppliers to meet company yield, quality, and reliability goals
Define and maintain program plans, milestone trackers, and risk registers across transfer and sustaining phases
Provide clear, concise status reporting to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders
Travel regularly to Samsung Austin fab
Process Transfer & Product Qualification
Own end-to-end process transfer and qualification, including baseline qualification, process corner validation, and PVT characterization
Lead product qualification activities in collaboration with the Reliability team
Drive lot starts, wafer splits, and process window experiments; perform WAT analysis to validate process baselines
Evaluate and qualify Samsung-initiated process changes, material substitutions, or equipment updates for product impact
Support new product ramp-up activities to volume production
Yield Engineering & Sustaining
Own post-transfer sustaining activities including yield improvement, process window optimization, and SPC monitoring on production silicon
Analyze WAT, inline, and final test data to identify process drift, yield loss mechanisms, and reliability risks; drive root cause and corrective action with Samsung process owners
Perform product process corner and design window studies to optimize process targets
Collaborate with Design, Product Test, and Failure Analysis teams to debug and root cause systematic yield issues
Failure Analysis & Quality
Coordinate failure analysis efforts across internal teams and Samsung FA resources
Perform product failure diagnosis for yield debug and failure localization, including bitmap analysis
Support customer-facing quality escalations including 8D and CAR responses
Data Analysis & Reporting
Apply advanced analytics and statistical methodologies to maximize yields, lower costs, and prevent quality excursions
Interface with cross-functional teams including R&D, Quality and Reliability, Manufacturing Test, Product Engineering, and Operations to deliver high-quality products and meet key metrics
Required Qualifications
M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related discipline or above
10+ years of semiconductor process or foundry engineering experience, prior experience in a fabless semiconductor company managing an external foundry relationship a plus
Hands-on experience with advanced CMOS or FD-SOI process technologies at 28nm node or below, including strong understanding of device physics, fabrication processes, and their interactions with circuit behavior
Strong knowledge of FD-SOI device physics including back-bias tuning, body effects, leakage, and variability
Experience with product qualification and reliability testing (HTOL, TDDB, EM); familiarity with AEC-Q100 for automotive applications
Demonstrated experience with WAT parametric analysis, yield engineering, SPC, and failure diagnosis and analysis coordination; familiarity with technology design rules, DFM, and layout-based yield analysis tools
Understanding of semiconductor product test flow and ability to engage effectively with manufacturing test and product engineering teams
Experience leading multi-year foundry transfer or qualification programs with cross-functional ownership; ability to manage multiple concurrent programs and priorities
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey technical concepts clearly to both technical and business audiences
Preferred Qualifications
Direct experience with Samsung 28FDS FD-SOI process technology
Experience working with Samsung Foundry engineering or process teams
Prior Failure Analysis experience
Proficiency in JMP, Python, or equivalent tools for large-scale data analysis
Familiarity with Lattice FPGA architecture or programmable logic products
In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for variable/ incentive compensation and/ or equity. In addition, this role is eligible for a comprehensive, competitive benefits package which may include healthcare and retirement plans, paid time off, and more!
Additional Information:
This position requires a successful background and reference checks and satisfactory proof of your right to work in:
United States of AmericaLattice recognizes that employees are its greatest asset and the driving force behind success in a highly competitive, global industry. Lattice continually strives to provide a comprehensive compensation and benefits program to attract, retain, motivate, reward and celebrate the highest caliber employees in the industry.
Lattice is an international, service-driven developer of innovative low cost, low power programmable design solutions. Our global workforce, some 1,000 strong, shares a total commitment to customer success and an unbending will to win. For more information about how our FPGA, CPLD and programmable power management devices help our customers unlock their innovation, visit www.latticesemi.com. You can also follow us via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS. At Lattice, we value the diversity of individuals, ideas, perspectives, insights and values, and what they bring to the workplace. Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates.
As an E-Verify employer, we use this system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires in accordance with federal law. All applicants will be required to complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, upon hire. We do not use E-Verify to pre-screen job candidates and will comply with all E-Verify regulations.