Developing Mid IR Photonic Crystal Surface Emitting Lasers (PCSEL) as Vector Photonics sponsored PhD candidate.

Developing processes for the next generation of semiconductor lasers.

GaN on DaME ProjectThe outcome will be devices with a spectacular >5x increase in RF power compared to the current state-of-the-art GaN-on-silicon carbide HEMTs, presently commercially available. Alternatively and equally valuably, a dramatic 'step-change' shrinkage in MMIC or power amplifier (PA).

CST Global is an independent volume producer of III-V compound semiconductors for the fabrication of photonics products. In my role as Junior Etch Engineer I am responsible for:• Establishing continuous improvement of product and mechanical yields through use of process characterisation and application of effective SPC.• Optimising and standardising processes, module flows and product travellers for cycle time, tool utilisation and defectivity to improve operating effectiveness of the fab. • Responding to process deviations and machine issues across all cells of the fab.• Documentation, training and use of all dry etch tools (STS, Oxford) and measurement tools (Dektak).• Developing processes for new materials or products including characterisation and qualification for production. • Oversight of device fabrication to ensure standard processes are followed and quality standards are maintained.• Processing one off/specialist trials or complex steps within the production process.• Maintaining open communications between operations and development teams to ensure knowledge is shared and objectives are aligned.

In my role as Etch Operator, I accumulated extensive production experience.I was actively involved in all parts of wafer fabrication including inspection, wet and dry etching, oxide and metal deposition, thermal annealing, mechanical and chemical polishing alongside metrology throughout. I was responsible for performing weekly checks on various equipment and processes. This involved the use of Statistical Process Control (SPC) to monitor etch tools, sputter kits, metrology and etch solutions to ensure consistency was achieved across production processes.