Principal Coating Engineer

Overview:

Responsible for the design and development of optical coatings for New Product Introduction (NPI) optics. This includes coating stack design, material selection, process development, qualification activities, and tooling design for new products. The role also supports Sales & Marketing (S&M) on RFQs and technical inquiries while working closely with cross-functional teams including Manufacturing, Operations, and Quality. Additionally, the engineer will identify, evaluate, and develop emerging technologies for next-generation optical components.

Job Description:

• Design, develop, and optimize optical coating solutions and photonics devices with a focus on laser applications.
• Review technical data packages and engineering drawings received through RFQs.
• Develop new product offerings utilizing technologies such as Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) and Magnetron Sputtering (MS).
• Perform coating design analysis based on customer specifications and ensure RFQ activities are completed within established turnaround time (TAT) KPIs.
• Generate Specification Review Forms (SRFs), when required, to address technical constraints and propose solutions aligned with company capabilities.
• Support Sales & Marketing (S&M) during customer visits, technical reviews, and assessments of new requirements.
• Prepare and provide evaluation reports for NPI products.
• Carry out process and product development, qualification activities, and tooling design for NPI products.
• Ensure readiness for Pre-FAT and FLP activities by preparing engineering checklists, BOM templates, ECNs, and ECOs.
• Develop and maintain process plans, test plans, routings, SOPs, in-process control plans, and FAT review forms.
• Provide training and technical guidance to production technicians on work instructions and processes.
• Support production during FAT and FLP builds and resolve all technical issues related to NPI products.
• Analyze and summarize issues identified during FAT and FLP activities, and implement necessary changes to material drawings, process plans, routings, and yield improvement initiatives.
• Participate in phase-gate reviews to ensure the successful transfer of products from FAT/FLP stages to mass production.
• Prepare and submit Process Review Forms upon completion of FAT/FLP activities.
• Conduct failure analysis on field returns, identify failure modes, and recommend corrective and preventive actions to prevent recurrence.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and continuous improvement (CI) projects to enhance yield, quality, and cycle time.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing operations as required.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Science, Engineering, Optics, Physics, or a related field. A Master's or PhD in Engineering is preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the development and manufacturing of optical coating products using IBS, MS, and PVD technologies for OEM medical device, semiconductor, optoelectronics, or avionics industries.
• Strong experience in designing and optimizing complex optical coatings.
• Strong expertise in thin-film deposition processes involving metals, alloys, dielectric materials, and polymers.
• Proficiency in thin-film design software such as OptiLayer and FilmStar.
• Experience with optical fabrication processes is an advantage.
• Experience in AutoCAD and/or SolidWorks for jig and fixture design.
• Experience with SAP is an added advantage.
• Strong knowledge of PVD technologies, including Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS), Magnetron Sputtering (MS), Thermal Evaporation, E-Beam Evaporation, Ion-Assisted Evaporation, and Reactive Evaporation.
• Strong knowledge of the optical and physical characterization of coating materials, including stress and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).
• Ability to program and operate optical monitoring and crystal monitoring systems.
• Strong knowledge of measuring coating spectral performance using instruments such as Lambda 1050, Varian Cary 7000i, and other spectrophotometers.
• Hands-on experience operating IBS, MS, and PVD coating systems to test and evaluate coating designs.
• Strong root-cause analysis and troubleshooting skills for coating process, cosmetic, and coating durability issues.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional and manufacturing environment.