Wirebond Process Engineering Lead

Overview

The Wirebond Process Engineering Lead will spearhead the technical and organizational efforts for the entire integrated circuit packaging process, overseeing development, manufacturing readiness for high volume production, and continual improvements, focusing on wirebond and flip chip technologies. This role ensures excellence in process yield, reliability, cost management, scalability, and the execution of the technology roadmap, fostering cohesive collaboration with teams from NPI & TD, equipment, quality, and customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end process integration including wafer and die preparation techniques such as thinning, laser and mechanical dicing, and secondary optical inspections.
• Manage die attach processes including direct, flipchip, thin die attaching, epoxy, film adhesives, and sintering methods.
• Oversee wire bonding operations involving Au, CuPd, Al materials, and bonding methods like ball and wedge bonding.
• Supervise underfill applications, plasma cleaning, taping, and tertiary optical inspections.
• Direct encapsulation processes including transfer molding, compression molding, and lid attachment.
• Control plating, marking, solder ball attachment, reflow, and flux cleaning procedures.
• Handle package separation activities such as cutting, forming, singulation, and final visual inspections.
• Define and uphold process parameter windows, control plans, and critical-to-quality measures across all packaging families.
• Lead technology qualifications and manage scale-up from development phases to high-volume manufacturing settings.
• Drive technology and process roadmaps aligned with customer needs, market trends, and packaging requirements.
• Ensure New Product Introduction (NPI) and manufacturing readiness through EVT, DVT, and PVT process perspectives.
• Collaborate with NPI, Product Engineering, and Technology Development teams to ensure design for manufacturability and reliability.
• Facilitate smooth technology transfers from development to production and own key ramp-up metrics such as yield improvements, cycle times, and scrap reduction.
• Take ownership of yield, reliability, and quality excellence, including first pass yield, final yield, and field reliability metrics.
• Lead root cause analyses for yield deviations using statistical process control, failure modes and effects analysis, design of experiments, and failure analysis methods.
• Manage JEDEC reliability qualifications for packages and devices.
• Partner with quality teams to manage customer returns, audits, and escalations effectively.
• Provide technical direction for process equipment selection, acceptance, and initiatives for productivity enhancements.
• Support CAPEX planning and return on investment justifications for equipment and technology upgrades.
• Drive cost of ownership optimization, productivity improvements, overall equipment efficiency (OEE), cycle time reduction, and production line balancing.
• Lead automation, digitalization, and smart manufacturing initiatives to enhance operational excellence.
• Support factory expansions, including greenfield and brownfield projects.
• Build and lead a high-performing process engineering team including subject matter experts (SMEs).
• Mentor senior engineers and SMEs, establish competency frameworks, develop training roadmaps, and succession planning.
• Promote a culture rooted in technical precision, accountability, and ongoing improvement aligned with company values.
• Serve as the technical liaison for customers on packaging process matters, conducting customer reviews, technology discussions, and risk mitigation.
• Assist business development by providing technology feasibility analyses and cost modeling.
• Represent process engineering within executive and customer forums.

Performance Metrics

• Yield and reliability performance improvements.
• Cost efficiency and productivity gains.
• Successful NPI cycle time management and ramp-up.
• Customer satisfaction and audit success rates.
• Talent retention and organizational capability maturity.

Essential Attributes and Qualifications

• Proven experience in high-volume manufacturing environments with diverse package and device mixes, demonstrating achievements in yield and reliability improvements as well as cost reductions.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering disciplines, preferably Mechanical or Electronics Engineering.
• 5 to 7 years’ experience within the OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) industry in similar roles; total background of 15-20 years in semiconductor IC packaging and assembly.