About fab2

The fab2 team can build anything. We design all the hardware and software needed to make chips and we make the fabs, tools, and components ourselves.

We're looking for exceptional, hands-on people who can iterate to the limits of what's possible.

fab2 was founded by Sam Zeloof and Jim Keller. Sam is best known for making chips in his garage, and Jim has been a leader in the semiconductor industry for the past 40 years.

About the team

The Process Team sits at the heart of our in-house device development, driving the design of each new generation of tools. This is unlike any role at a traditional foundry—we simultaneously develop recipes, apply novel materials, test and characterize our chips, and troubleshoot tools.

About the role

As a Process Development Engineer at fab2, you’ll be responsible for experiment design and execution of new semiconductor and thin-film fabrication methods. We're looking for someone with both a strong understanding of traditional semiconductor processing methods and an open-mindedness to new techniques. It'll be helpful if you have the ability to digest and filter a large body of existing work (academic papers, books, etc.)

This is a high-ownership role with lots of autonomy in a fast-moving startup environment. You’ll have the opportunity to contribute to novel R&D processes and influence tool design. Candidates should have hands-on cleanroom experience and a track record of developing nanofabrication recipes from scratch, ideally across multiple process steps.

Responsibilities

Work in the lab to design and run experiments alongside senior process engineers
Read academic papers and technical literature to inform experimental design; whiteboard ideas and iterate quickly
Learn and operate a range of semiconductor tools, including deposition, etch, lithography, and metrology systems
Develop, transfer, and optimize process recipes across platforms with a focus on consistency, yield, and throughput
Analyze process data, troubleshoot recipe or equipment issues, and clearly document findings and results for the team

Required Experience

PhD + 10 years of experience (or equivalent) developing nanofabrication processes, device flows, and mentoring technical teams
Experience operating thin film deposition, dry etch, and lithography tools
Hands-on cleanroom experience with multi-step fabrication flows
Recipe development and optimization for some subset of thin film deposition, dry etch, or lithography
Familiarity with key metrology such as ellipsometry, profilometry, SEM, etc

Nice-to-have

Mechanical or maintenance experience with fab tools
Full device‐flow experience

Working at fab2

We’re an early-stage hardware startup with solid funding, world-class advisors, and labs/offices in Austin, TX, Lockhart, TX, and San Francisco, CA.

Compensation: fab2 is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The annual salary range for this role is $165,000 – $220,000. Compensation is determined based on your qualifications and experience. Our total compensation package also includes generous equity in fab2.

Benefits: fab2 Semi offers the following benefits, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
Generous Paid Time Off inclusive of Holidays and Sick Time
Visa Sponsorship
Life and Disability Insurance
Paid Parental Leave
401(k) retirement plan
Weekly Learning & Development opportunities
Commuter Benefits including Parking and Late Night Uber rides from the office
Lunches daily, Dinners 3x per week, Stocked Office Kitchen with Snacks and Spindrifts

We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or other legally protected statuses.

Export Control Analysis: This position involves access to technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. Any job offer made will be contingent upon the applicant’s capacity to serve in compliance with U.S. export controls.

fab2, formerly known as Atomic Semi

About the company

Fab2 designs, manufactures, and licenses compact, modular semiconductor fabrication facilities (fabs) that are mass-produced to enable small-scale, fast, and low-cost chip production. Its core offering, the so-called

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$500M

Headquarters

Austin, Texas

Founded

2023

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

The September 9, 2026 $500M Series A gives Fab2 deep cash for expansion.
Austin filings show $3.9M warehouse renovations finishing February 2027, signaling active deployment.
Texas relocation concentrates hiring and manufacturing near cheaper space, permitting, and industrial policy support.

What critics are saying

September 2026's $3.7B valuation prices enormous execution; missed milestones crush follow-on financing.
Fab2 still lacks disclosed revenue, yields, customer volume, or shipped-fab counts as of September 2026.
Competing 300mm foundries and captive fabs can outspend Fab2 before its Texas buildout scales.

What makes Fab2 unique

Sam Zeloof and Jim Keller combine chipmaking hardware, fab automation, and Studio EDA.
Fab2's July 2026 rebrand centers a 'fab fab' that manufactures mini-fabs in-house.
Austin, Lockhart, and San Francisco sites create an integrated prototype-to-tooling loop.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Parental Leave

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Commuter Benefits

Professional Development Budget

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

2 year growth

-4%

Frontrun

Sep 9th, 2026

Fundraise receipts - september 9th: latitude, Split Pay, Fab2, Lightfield.

Fundraise receipts - september 9th: latitude, Split Pay, Fab2, Lightfield. tl;dr: frontrun flagged latitude on april 2 2026, 160 days before the company announced a $35M series A led by Oak HC/FT, bringing total funding to $43M. frontrun flagged Split Pay on may 19 2026, 112 days before the company announced $125M across a Series A and Series B, both led by Khosla Ventures with Thrive Capital and Max Levchin. founders Andrew Borovsky and Andrew Lin. frontrun flagged Fab2 on june 5 2026, 95 days before the company announced a $500M Series A led by Protagonist at a $3.7B valuation. founders Sam Zeloof and Jim Keller. a tracked account at a16z followed Lightfield on july 28 2026, 43 days before a16z led the company's $47M Series A with Maverick Capital, Coatue, Greylock, Lightspeed, Audacious and Alumni Ventures. founder and CEO Keith Peiris. Latitude: $35M series A, flagged 160 days early. FUNDRAISE |: @frontrunvc flagged @rtp on April 2nd. 160 days later: $35M Series A led by @oakhcft, $43M raised to date. latitude builds global payment infrastructure: fiat payouts and stablecoin on and off ramps with real-time settlement, running on the latitude liquidity network. the founding team came out of stripe, coinbase, uber and zero hash. flagged april 2 2026, announced september 9 2026. 160 days. 20 tracked accounts were already following @rtp before the round surfaced. oak hc/ft led the $35m series a. $43m raised to date. Split Pay: $125M Series A and B, flagged 112 days early. frontrun flagged Split Pay on may 19 2026, at 749 followers. on september 8 2026, 112 days later, Axios reported that Split Pay had raised $125M across back to back Series A and Series B rounds, both led by Khosla Ventures, joined by Thrive Capital and Max Levchin. the company had raised a $15M seed in 2023 before that. Split Pay (@splitpay), formerly Rent App, splits rent and mortgage payments into smaller instalments so renters and homeowners get financial breathing room. founded by Andrew Borovsky (CEO) and Andrew Lin, based in Miami. source: Split Pay raises $125 million for rent and mortgage lending. follow from the front. frontrun.vc Fab2: $500M Series A, flagged 95 days early. frontrun flagged Fab2 on june 5 2026. on september 8 2026, 95 days later, Fab2 announced a $500M Series A led by Protagonist, at a $3.7B valuation per the company's own post. 17 tracked accounts were following it by announcement, and a tracked account at Protagonist followed @fab2 on august 19, 20 days before the firm led the round. Fab2 (@fab2), formerly Atomic Semi, builds the hardware and software needed to make chips, fabs, tools and components, with the goal of printing chips and printing fabs. founded by Sam Zeloof (@szeloof) and chip architect Jim Keller, based in Austin. source: Protagonist on the $500M Series A. follow from the front. frontrun.vc Lightfield: $47M Series A, a16z followed 43 days early. a tracked account at a16z followed Lightfield on july 28 2026. on september 9 2026, 43 days later, a16z led Lightfield's $47M Series A, with Maverick Capital, Coatue, Greylock, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Audacious and Alumni Ventures participating. the fund that followed first is the fund that led. Lightfield (@lightfld), formerly Tome, is rebuilding the CRM for companies that run on agents: a world model of a business assembled from calls, emails and messages, rather than a database of manual notes. founder and CEO Keith Peiris (@keithpeiris). source: Lightfield raises $47 million Series A. follow from the front. frontrun.vc these already happened. the useful list is the one where the round or the launch has not happened yet. frontrun watches the follow graphs of 2,000+ tracked venture investors on X and flags the companies they converge on, with a date, the morning it happens. see the signal this article is built on frontrun tracks the follow graphs of 2,000+ venture investors and flags companies months before rounds are announced. companies and founders surfaced on frontrun. curated, every week.

Fab2

Staff Process Development Engineer

About the job