Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Experts

What you'll do

A frontier AI lab is building models for semiconductors and the physical sciences, and Mercor is recruiting atomic layer deposition specialists to feed and check them. This is hands-on expert work across three modes: creating data, judging model output, and organizing process knowledge.

Per the ad, you will:

• Contribute ALD process development, precursor chemistry and thin-film characterization expertise to training and evaluation data
• Review AI-generated scientific reasoning, catch errors and improve technical accuracy
• Design and solve hard, expert-level ALD and semiconductor processing problems
• Rate and rank model outputs against scientific criteria, with written reasoning
• Structure process parameters, recipes and characterization results into model-ready data
• Deliver reliable work on defined timelines

The recipe-structuring piece is less common in AI training work and worth noting. It rewards people who have kept careful process logs: which precursor and co-reactant, pulse and purge times, temperature window, growth per cycle, and what the XPS or ellipsometry said afterwards.

Who fits

• Hands-on experience developing, optimizing or troubleshooting ALD processes
• Deep knowledge of thin-film deposition for semiconductor or advanced-packaging applications
• A strong grasp of precursor chemistry and surface reaction mechanisms
• Characterization experience (XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, ellipsometry and similar)
• A PhD or MS, or equivalent hands-on experience, in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering or physics
• Clear written English and precise technical explanation

The "equivalent hands-on experience" clause matters: senior process engineers and fab technologists without a graduate degree are not excluded.

What it pays

A flat $84 per hour, Mercor's published figure, with no band to be placed within. Commitment is up to 40 hours a week with a 10-hour minimum, on a long-term, ongoing engagement. Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Fixed, published rate with no range to negotiate
• Long-term, ongoing engagement rather than a short project
• Flexible hours between 10 and 40 a week
• Graduate degree not strictly required
• Weekly payment on Stripe or Wise

Less good:

• US-based only
• A narrow specialism: ALD experience specifically, not general thin-film work
• 10 hours a week minimum
• H-1B and STEM OPT holders are excluded
• Independent contractor: projects can be extended, shortened or ended early

If your background is broader materials R&D rather than ALD, compare the full-time Materials Science Domain Expert placement in the Bay Area.

About this listing

Posted by Mercor as an hourly remote contract for US-based candidates, confirmed open on 24 September 2026. The rate, hours and requirements are the ad's own. See Mercor.