What does an Entegris employee look like? What do they do all day, and what do they like about their jobs? This blog is part of a series that will take a deep dive into a variety of careers at Entegris. We’ll highlight several employees and their valuable contributions to the organization. What do they do, how are they succeeding, and why do they think Entegris is a great place to work?
What is your educational/employment background?
I have a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, and an MBA in technology management from University of Colorado Colorado Springs. I’ve been with Entegris one way or another for about 29 years.
Wow! What was Entegris like back in 1996?
When I joined, Entegris’ Colorado Springs site was still called EMPAK. We merged with Fluoroware and became Entegris in 1999. Entegris is much bigger now than when I started, but I still work on many of the same products. For example, I started working on front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) when I was 26 years old – and I’m still working on them today.
If anything’s changed, it’s that we’ve become much more efficient in terms of design and prototyping. We have a whole bunch of 3D printers now, which means that we can prototype overnight and then iterate during the day. When I started, prototypes used to come in once a week.
What sparked your interest in engineering?
As a kid, I loved both science and architecture, and I found that I got to apply science, design, and mathematics as an engineer. What’s really cool about being an engineer is that I still get to use the knowledge I gained in school. Any class I took gave me skills and information that I’m still using today – materials science, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, structural engineering, and more.
What do you like most about being an engineer?
The greatest reward is seeing our work succeed. I got to be on the team that led the design and CAD work for our Spectra™ FOUP, a product is now at all of our major customers. When I go to a customer’s fab, I can see the product that I designed moving wafers between process steps. I also got to work on the A300 FOUP, and that’s also amazing because it’s specifically used by our customers to protect their most leading edge chips for mobile phones. It’s wonderful to see how a product that we’ve created and continually improved is being used to make a device that you use every day.
What is your advice for those interested in the engineering field?
I’ll answer from my perspective as a manager. I like working in small teams so I can learn from other people and teach them what I know. Engineering is often daunting for graduates we hire right out of school, but we don’t expect them to know everything. I ask new engineers to be open to both learning and sharing. We have a lot to learn from them because they bring the latest information and a lack of preconceptions.
If you have a good manager or mentor, they’ll help you acquire expertise, find what you’re passionate about, and give you the experience you need to be successful. As a manager, developing my team is one of my responsibilities and something I love about my job. I wanted to become a manager, even though I’m a product designer at heart, because I feel a commitment to the people on my team to help them find what they love about the engineering discipline.
So, let me distill all that into some more concrete advice. Find an expertise based on something that interests you. Demonstrate this interest through your actions and work with your manager to get experience. Lastly, be patient. Onboarding takes a while. It might be a year or two before you’re really comfortable, but all of a sudden, you’ll find that you’ve blossomed into an indispensable team member.
What are the most challenging parts of becoming an engineer?
What I tell other engineers is that no one will ask you to use your engineering degree. You must actively choose to find an engineering methodology and apply it to your problems. This means making an effort to hone your skills continuously throughout your career. Like I said, I’m still applying skills that I learned in university and improving on them by cracking open books and looking online.
Are you excited about the new Colorado Springs Manufacturing Center of Excellence?
Yes! The new facility will truly be state-of-the-art and it’s exciting to be part of it! We have two product engineers from my group working with the multi-functional team preparing the building. This team includes representatives from across disciplines including quality, manufacturing, automation, scheduling, and maintenance to name a few. While the goals of the two product engineers are to prepare the product designs for qualification and high-volume manufacturing, they have also enjoyed the opportunity to mentor new hires through product training and hands-on collaboration.
What project are you most looking forward to once the new facility opens?
We’re currently working on the next-gen Spectra FOUP, which is synchronized with the factory coming online. I’m very interested in working with the new manufacturing team to introduce this product to our customers.
How do you like working at Entegris?
I like it a lot! My division has remained extremely relevant over the years that I’ve worked here. We’re always working on improving our product, which means that I still get to apply my engineering skills. The job never fails to be interesting or exciting.
Thanks to Matt for sharing this great information about his role at Entegris. Learn more about Entegris careers!