Fabrication Engineer for RF Components

Fabrication Engineer for RF Components

CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research

Geneva, Switzerland

What you'll do

Are you passionate about cutting-edge fabrication? Do you thrive at the intersection of high-precision machining and advanced joining applied to Radio Frequency components? This is your opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team developing the Tristron – a high-efficiency RF power source critical for the Future Circular Collider (FCC).

Your role involves participating in the R&D for manufacturing processes, working with the design office and engineering units to finalise the design and following up the manufacturing in collaboration with the methods office.

This position is within the Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) Group, which maintains and develops decades of expertise in the design, manufacturing, and assembly of advanced accelerator components.

The Engineering Department (EN) pushes the limits of technology to provide innovative research tools for the global physics community.

Your responsibilities

• Focus on the mechanical realisation and development of the critical Triode components, including the Anode, Cathode, and Grid;
• Oversee the development of laser micro-machining and other advanced manufacturing technologies for the grid manufacturing, utilising specialised materials;
• Define and follow up on feasibility studies for High-Precision Machining: achieving sub-10 micron tolerances, required surface roughness, and precise parts fit-up;
• Define and follow up on feasibility studies for vacuum brasing cycles and/or electron beam welding (EBW) procedures for dissimilar materials, focusing on the metallurgical integrity of joints between oxygen-free copper, technical ceramics, and other high-performance alloys;
• Based on feasibility studies, provide feedback to the RF designers and MME Design Office to optimise the design for manufacturing;
• Define QA/QC plans (metrology, roughness, leak detection), ensure R&D traceability and documentation, and record joining procedures (BPS/WPS) with concerned services;
• Participate in the definition of the complete fabrication sequence for the Tristron with the methods office.

Your profile

• Experience in mechanical components assembly; good knowledge and understanding of fabrication techniques (such as vacuum brasing and electron beam welding) and their application to the design process;
• Experience in application of fabrication methods for high-precision mechanical components or radio frequency (RF) Structures;
• Knowledge of metallic and non-metallic materials (OFHC copper, technical ceramics, and high-performance alloys);
• Experience with 3D and 2D technical drawings; ability to read/interpret technical drawings and ISO GPS tolerancing (dimensional and geometrical product specification standards);
• Your studies focused on Mechanical, Manufacturing, Materials Engineering.

Your skills

• Experience with CAD tools (preferably CATIA) would be an asset;
• Initial experience with quality management processes; knowledge of quality control procedures and standards applicable to mechanical production, including metrology, NDT (leak detection), and the establishment of BPS/WPS;
• Knowledge of mechanical fabrication for radio frequency (RF) structures would be a strong asset; familiarity with vacuum chambers and/or laser processing would be an additional advantage;
• Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French.