---
title: 'Plasma Dry Etch Engineer at Absolics Inc'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/plasma-dry-etch-engineer-absolics-inc-covington-v9grp6t1h22j'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# Plasma Dry Etch Engineer at Absolics Inc

- **Company:** Absolics Inc
- **Location:** Covington, GA
- **Posted:** 2026-07-01
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/absolicsinc/jobs/4303984009

## Job description

Job Title: R&D Engineer - Dry Process (Plasma Etch /Plasma Ablation/ PVD) Expert for Advanced Packaging applications

Location: Covington, GA

Job Type: Full-Time

About Us: Absolics is a leading provider of advanced packaging technologies and services, offering scalable solutions for businesses of high-performance computing. We offer smart, innovative services to dozens of clients globally. By dedicating our efforts to establishing large glass substrates with built-in active and passive elements, our goal is to provide significant improvement in signaling characteristics and power consumption compared to existing solutions.

Job Description:

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Dry Process Engineer to join our R&D team. In this role you will lead development of dry processing capabilities across plasma etch, physical vapor deposition, and plasma-based ablation steps for fabricating advanced packaging interconnect structures. This role sits at the intersection of thin-film metallization and dielectric patterning, requiring you to steer equipment and process qualification, process recipe development, and integration handoffs with lithography, wet process, and plating teams. You will be a primary technical owner for vacuum-based unit processes in a hands-on, early-stage R&D environment where design of experiment planning capabilities and rigorous root-cause analysis both matter.

Key Responsibilities:

- Develop and qualify plasma etch, PVD seed deposition, and plasma ablation processes for RDL build up and interconnect structures
- Help establish process flows that enable control of film uniformity, required via or trench step coverage and taper/sidewall profile, and layer-to-layer adhesion across the various plasma-based sub processes
- Establish recipes and tune plasma chemistry and tool parameters to optimize etch selectivity and minimize defects (micro-masking, residue, undercut)
- Perform root-cause and failure analysis on dry-process defects using SEM, XPS/AES, and electrical metrology
- Assess plasma-induced damage risk (charging, UV effects) on dielectrics and downstream reliability
- Collaborate with wet process and plating teams to ensure clean handoff of seed layers and trench/via structures

Required Skills

- Hands-on experience with plasma etch process development (RIE, ICP, or barrel plasma) in a semiconductor or packaging environment
- Direct experience with PVD sputter deposition of seed layers (Ti, TiW, Ta, Cu) including thickness uniformity, step coverage, and adhesion control
- Experience with plasma-based dielectric ablation techniques/descum on organic or inorganic dielectrics (ABF, PBO, PSPI, polyimide)
- Working knowledge of plasma chemistry fundamentals (O₂, CF₄, SF₆, Ar, N₂ chemistries) and their etch selectivity tradeoffs
- Proficiency with vacuum system fundamentals: chamber pressure control, RF/ICP power coupling, gas flow control, end-point detection
- Metrology and characterization skills: SEM, profilometry, XPS or AES for surface composition, four-point probe for film resistivity
- DOE design and statistical analysis for process optimization (Minitab, JMP, or equivalent)
- Root-cause and failure analysis experience for etch defects (micro-masking, undercut, residue, via taper control)

## Preferred Skills

- Experience with plasma descum/etch-back for via clean prior to metallization (organic dielectric residue removal)
- Familiarity with PECVD or ALD for inorganic dielectric or barrier films (SiN, SiO₂, SiCN)
- Experience tuning trench taper angle, sidewall profile, and CD bias for fine-pitch micro structures (≤10 µm)
- Knowledge of dry plasma Ti seed removal as an alternative to wet etch (selectivity to underlying Cu RDL)
- Familiarity with plasma uniformity modeling, chamber matching, or tool-to-tool variation reduction
- Cross-process integration experience linking dry etch outcomes to downstream plating or CMP performance
- Experience with reliability impact assessment of plasma-induced damage (charging, UV exposure effects on dielectrics)

Education

- Ph.D. in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, or related field preferred
- M.S. with 3+ years of relevant industry or research experience considered

Benefits:

- 401K 6% matching (NO vesting period)
- Healthcare 100% support (Health, Dental, Vision)
- Life, STD, LTD 100 % support
- Cell phone allowance
- PTO and self-development

## SALARY:

- $90,000 – $150,000

## About Absolics Inc

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Absolics Inc. is the world's first glass substrate manufacturer, providing advanced packaging technologies and scalable solutions for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI semiconductor applications.
- **Entity Type**: Private (affiliate of SKC, part of SK Group)
- **Headquarters**: Covington, Georgia, United States
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Not publicly available (company was established as an affiliate of SKC)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Semiconductor Manufacturing / Advanced Packaging
- **Target customers**: B2B – HPC-related packaging companies, data centers, AI chip manufacturers, and high-tech industry leaders
- **Mission or purpose**: To create a new chapter in the history of the semiconductor industry by solving fundamental substrate limitations with glass-based solutions.

## Products & Services
- **Glass Substrate Solutions**: A proprietary glass substrate technology that significantly improves signaling characteristics and reduces power consumption compared to traditional silicon-based substrates. It enables fine patterns, large areas, and lower power consumption for advanced packaging. Type: Hardware / Semiconductor Material
- **Advanced Packaging Services**: Scalable packaging services for businesses involved in high-performance computing, leveraging glass substrate innovation. Type: Service / Manufacturing

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (Private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding – **$175.0M** (from U.S. Department of Commerce grants, see below)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**:
    - **U.S. Department of Commerce** (two grants: $75M in May 2024, $100M in January 2025) [absolicsinc.com](https://www.absolicsinc.com/)
    - Parent: **SKC** (affiliate of **SK Group**, which includes SK Hynix, SK Siltron, and SK Materials)
- **Growth Signals**:
    - Headcount grew **48.8% YoY** (+40 people), now at **76 employees** [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/absolics-inc)
    - The advanced packaging market is expected to grow from $3.5B (2020) to $9.7B (2025); glass substrate segment forecast at $3.0B (2025) with 25% CAGR [absolicsinc.com](https://www.absolicsinc.com/)
    - Recent news: Absolics received $100M in U.S. R&D grants (2024-2025), building a computer chip factory in Georgia [eeNews Europe](https://www.eenewseurope.com/)
    - Active job postings: 9 positions (quarterly job posting growth: +800%) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/absolics-inc)

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-mover in glass substrates**: Absolics is the world's first dedicated glass substrate manufacturer, positioning it at the forefront of a key advanced packaging innovation.
- **Deep SK Group ecosystem**: Backed by SKC and SK Group (SK Hynix, SK Siltron, SK Materials), providing strong supply chain integration, capital, and industry connections.
- **Significant U.S. government backing**: $175M in federal grants directly from the CHIPS Act, signaling strategic national importance and long-term stability.
- **Performance moat**: Glass substrates offer superior signaling, lower power consumption, and larger form factors – critical for AI and HPC chips where traditional silicon substrates are hitting physical limits.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling manufacturing**: Building a U.S. factory in Georgia to mass-produce glass substrates for the domestic semiconductor ecosystem.
- **R&D leadership**: Continued innovation in active/passive element integration on glass, targeting next-generation HPC and AI packaging needs.
- **Market capture**: Targeting the rapidly growing advanced packaging market ($9.7B by 2025), with glass substrates as a key growth driver.

## Why Work Here
- **Pioneering technology**: Join the first company in the world manufacturing glass substrates for semiconductors – a chance to work on cutting-edge tech that could reshape the industry.
- **Rapid growth**: Headcount grew ~49% YoY, indicating a scaling phase with ample career advancement opportunities.
- **Government-backed stability**: $175M in federal grants provides strong financial footing and long-term project security.
- **Office policy**: On-site work at the Covington, Georgia headquarters [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/absolics-inc) – collaborative environment in a new, state-of-the-art facility.
- **Engineering-heavy culture**: 25% of staff in technical roles, 13% in operations, and active hiring for engineers (NPI Process Engineer, Photoresist Engineering Manager, etc.) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/absolics-inc)
- **Global exposure**: While HQ is in Georgia, the company has presence in South Korea and Mexico, offering cross-cultural collaboration.

## Sources
1. [absolicsinc.com](https://www.absolicsinc.com/)
2. [absolicsinc.com/about](https://www.absolicsinc.com/about)
3. [absolicsinc.com/job](https://www.absolicsinc.com/job)
4. [linkedin.com/company/absolics-inc](https://www.linkedin.com/company/absolics-inc)
5. [builtin.com/company/absolics-inc](https://builtin.com/company/absolics-inc)

## Other roles at Absolics Inc

- [Human Resources Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/human-resources-specialist-absolics-inc-covington-bkgpe6537m2n) — Covington, GA
- [NPI Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/npi-process-engineer-absolics-inc-covington-jkq6p72aaydt) — Covington, GA
- [Photo Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/photo-process-engineer-absolics-inc-covington-srew40vkj6vn) — Covington, GA
- [Dielectric and Polymer Materials Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/dielectric-and-polymer-materials-engineer-absolics-inc-covington-8cvb0ervetam) — Covington, GA
- [Process Integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/process-integration-engineer-absolics-inc-covington-g5d4df4fjwn8) — Covington, GA
- [Dry / Lami Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/dry-lami-process-engineer-absolics-inc-covington-523p18t5byp7) — Covington, GA
- [Engineering Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-technician-absolics-inc-covington-wajqqpf8w37a) — Covington, GA
- [IT & Security MIS Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/it-security-mis-manager-absolics-inc-covington-jh9hbsnx6mtk) — Covington, GA
- [SPC Data Control Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/spc-data-control-engineer-absolics-inc-covington-xav4c3swzry8) — Covington, GA
- [Plating Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/plating-process-engineer-absolics-inc-covington-kzknyzhn0anr) — Covington, GA