At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.

At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that—our technology helped people put a man on the moon and capture the first-ever picture of a black hole.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers alike under our Western Digital®, WD®, and WD_BLACK™.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest-growth organizations in the world. From enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and hyperscale cloud providers, to meeting the massive and ever-growing data storage needs of the AI era, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage.

The WD R&D center in Fremont, CA is a world-class research laboratory, wafer fab and manufacturing center at the intersection of San Francisco Bay and Silicon Valley.  WD labs are at the forefront of AI-infrastructure R&D, where activities focus on all aspects of information-storage technology. We are inviting applications for a position in optical-device-fabrication on the HAMR-fabrication team, where our mission is to continue the advance of Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR).  This is an opportunity to work where magnetic, optical and plasmonic devices converge on a nanoscale.  We have the capabilities of a fully-functional cleanroom with state-of-the-art equipment and a 24/7 support staff. 

Responsibilities

Work as a Research Scientist and Engineer in optical-device-fabrication at WD’s wafer fab in Fremont, CA.  Candidate will be responsible for development and integration of new processes for fabrication of HAMR devices.  Job requires interfacing with engineers and scientists in process, characterization and design groups.

• PhD in Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or Physics
• Minimum of four-years experience in semiconductor, optical/plasmonic and/or magnetic device fabrication
• Expertise in wafer processes such as lithography, wet etching, ion milling, reactive etching, thin films and CMP
• Exposure to wafer-level characterization such as SEM, FIB, TEM, AFM and ellipsometry is desirable
• Problem-solving and analytical skills
• Expertise in JMP or equivalent data analysis software
• Candidate must be innovative, detail-oriented and have strong oral and written communication skills
• Excellent teamwork and people skills are required.

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender-related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here.

Western Digital thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Western Digital is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at [email protected] to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 06-07-2026 (3 months from posting), although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

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