Plessey people: Charlie, Process Engineer

What did you study at University?

I studied for a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Plymouth. The final exams for my course finished in May of 2022, and my graduation took place just two weeks after I joined at Plessey, in September 2022.

Have you always been interested in science and engineering? If yes, what ignited your passion for these subjects?

I’ve always known that I wanted a career within the field of science or engineering because those were the subjects that excited me when I was young, and I constantly had the feeling of needing to learn more. However, it wasn’t until my second year of university that I started to understand how I could utilise my enthusiasm for science, chemistry and physics in particular, to help me build a career linked to another closely related interest of mine, which is technology.

Why did you choose to apply for a graduate position at Plessey?

Finding out there was a company developing world-leading display technology in the same city I moved to for my degree was an exciting discovery, and I knew it was an opportunity I had to try and be involved in. I also saw it as a fantastic way to build upon the skills I started developing during my time at university.

What is your current role and what do you enjoy most about it? Please can you describe what a typical day/week looks like in your current role?

I’ve recently been promoted from a Graduate Engineer to a Process Engineer, working in the Process Development and Integration department. The great thing about this role is that I get to experience the techniques used in all stages of our process flow and spend time understanding why we use them, and I also help to ensure they work as intended. It also means I get to help develop and implement new modules, which allows me to work with people from many different areas of the business.

The tasks I carry out each day can vary quite a lot, but in general, I work towards making sure our wafers are moving through the process flow quickly and I help to troubleshoot any issues they might face. This often includes reviewing inspection images and metrology data of the wafers and making decisions on how to continue, based on the results, as well as helping to run and monitor tools/processes that we are trialling for the first time. As a graduate, I found that we had a huge number of opportunities for training both in and out of the FAB, and we also attended meetings throughout the day to discuss projects and any technical challenges we were facing.

What has been the highlight of your career with Plessey so far?

My highlight so far has to be working within our development team, which I joined about 4/5 months into my role. The people in my team are always willing to answer questions and help me understand the projects we take part in, and I’ve learned so much about the industry and technology because of this.

How do you see your career developing in the next few years (hopefully at Plessey)?

I hope to continue developing my knowledge of the architecture we design and make as well as the general processes used in the semiconductor industry. I enjoy both the process development and engineering side of things and I’d like to keep building on the foundation I’ve gained during my first year at Plessey.

Where in the world did you relocate from, if you did? Do you enjoy living here? If yes, what do you like most?

Originally, I’m from Gloucestershire but I moved to Plymouth for university. I wanted to stay around the area and luckily, I found an opening for a graduate role at Plessey. I love living in Plymouth, it is such a great place to live if you enjoy the outdoors. Dartmoor and all the coastal areas around Devon are brilliant.