Job Description

Western Digital, the premiere producer of storage solutions including hard disk drives (WD and G-Technology brands) and solid-state drives (SanDisk brand), is seeking an engineer nearing the completion of their PhD to intern in our TOF-SIMS laboratory.

The reading and writing head in a hard drive “flies” only a few nanometers above the disk surface.  Contamination on the order of a micron in width and a nanometer thick can be sufficient to disrupt device operation.  As a surface-sensitive technique capable of identifying organic and inorganic materials, TOF-SIMS is a particularly useful tool to assist in determining root cause of failure mechanisms.

This intern will investigate cutting-edge methods to measure properties of thin films, work on project improving our TOF-SIMS libraries, and investigate the effect of surface properties on ion yield. In addition, they will perform analyses in support of research, development, and manufacturing of hard drives.  All of this work will be performed in collaboration with our experienced TOF-SIMS team in San Jose.

Qualifications

• PhD candidacy in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or other related engineering discipline is required. 
• A strong background in inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and/or mass spectroscopy preferred. 
• Strong problem-solving abilities and the desire to work in a team environment are essential.
• The candidate will join a team of analysts developing the next generation of Western Digital’s storage technology.  
• This position is located in our world-class Analytical Sciences Laboratory in San Jose, California.