Principal Engineer (PVD Equipment & Process Development)
KLA
15 hours ago
Full-time
On-site
Milpitas, CA
$205,800 - $360,200 USD yearly
Engineering
Moneyboard classification: Published range reaches threshold
Reported USD annual base: $205,800–$360,200
Original source: Workday
To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.
Group/DivisionThe Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. The SPTS division provides advanced wafer processing solutions—including etch, deposition and vapor-based technologies—designed for R&D through high-volume production. With a global presence and strong customer support network, SPTS helps manufacturers across industries improve performance, yield and cost-efficiency. It also offers comprehensive service and spare parts through a worldwide network of service centers and qualified local agents.
What You'll Do
In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.
We’re looking for an accomplished technical leader with deep PVD and semiconductor process expertise to develop next-generation equipment, chamber, and process capabilities! You’ll set technical direction across PVD, metallization, annealing, thin films, and device integration, translating future device needs into equipment and technology roadmaps while driving highly sophisticated programs across engineering teams and strategic suppliers.
This is an opportunity to influence technology at the intersection of device innovation, process development, and sophisticated semiconductor equipment!
Key Responsibilities
Lead technical projects for the development of new PVD equipment, chambers, hardware, and process capabilities for future semiconductor devices.
Define project requirements, technical breakthroughs, development priorities, schedules and risks.
Partner with process and hardware engineering teams to develop and optimize PVD chamber and equipment capabilities.
Translate future device, metallization, and material requirements into equipment, chamber, hardware, and process requirements.
Apply strong device-integration knowledge to understand the relationship between pre-metallization processes, PVD deposition, metallization, annealing, and downstream processing.
Drive evaluation and introduction of new materials and metallization approaches required for future device technologies.
Coordinate technical development across process engineering, hardware engineering, materials, device integration, characterization, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
Work closely with equipment manufacturers and component suppliers on new chamber technologies, hardware designs, components, and process capabilities.
Review process, material, and device-characterization results to identify technical gaps and guide equipment and process-development priorities.
Identify technical and program risks and drive multi-functional teams toward resolution.
Lead development activities from early technology evaluation through equipment/process qualification and implementation.
Communicate technical progress, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to engineering leadership and key partners.
Minimum Qualifications
M.S. or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a related semiconductor discipline.
15+ years of semiconductor proven experience in PVD, thin-film deposition, metallization, process equipment, or related technology development.
Deep technical knowledge of PVD deposition processes and equipment.
Experience supplying to the development, modification, or introduction of PVD equipment, process chambers, or chamber hardware.
Strong understanding of semiconductor device integration and fabrication, including processes before and after metallization.
Experience with device metallization and annealing and an understanding of their relationship to device performance.
Experience leading complex technical development projects involving process, equipment, hardware, materials, and device requirements.
Experience evaluating or introducing new deposition materials and material stacks for advanced device applications.
Knowledge of materials and device characterization and the ability to use characterization results to guide technical development.
Demonstrated experience collaborating with semiconductor equipment manufacturers and component suppliers.
Strong technical leadership, project management, communication, and multi-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience developing or modifying PVD chambers, sources, or other deposition-system hardware.
Experience taking new equipment/process capabilities from concept and development through qualification and manufacturing implementation.
Knowledge of CVD and other thin-film deposition technologies.
Experience working with global equipment and component suppliers.
Travel
Approximately 20% domestic and international travel.
Minimum Qualifications
M.S. or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a related semiconductor discipline.
15+ years of semiconductor proven experience in PVD, thin-film deposition, metallization, process equipment, or related technology development.
About KLA
We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that
Reported USD annual base: $205,800–$360,200
Original source: Workday
To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.
Group/DivisionThe Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. The SPTS division provides advanced wafer processing solutions—including etch, deposition and vapor-based technologies—designed for R&D through high-volume production. With a global presence and strong customer support network, SPTS helps manufacturers across industries improve performance, yield and cost-efficiency. It also offers comprehensive service and spare parts through a worldwide network of service centers and qualified local agents.
What You'll Do
In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.
We’re looking for an accomplished technical leader with deep PVD and semiconductor process expertise to develop next-generation equipment, chamber, and process capabilities! You’ll set technical direction across PVD, metallization, annealing, thin films, and device integration, translating future device needs into equipment and technology roadmaps while driving highly sophisticated programs across engineering teams and strategic suppliers.
This is an opportunity to influence technology at the intersection of device innovation, process development, and sophisticated semiconductor equipment!
Key Responsibilities
Lead technical projects for the development of new PVD equipment, chambers, hardware, and process capabilities for future semiconductor devices.
Define project requirements, technical breakthroughs, development priorities, schedules and risks.
Partner with process and hardware engineering teams to develop and optimize PVD chamber and equipment capabilities.
Translate future device, metallization, and material requirements into equipment, chamber, hardware, and process requirements.
Apply strong device-integration knowledge to understand the relationship between pre-metallization processes, PVD deposition, metallization, annealing, and downstream processing.
Drive evaluation and introduction of new materials and metallization approaches required for future device technologies.
Coordinate technical development across process engineering, hardware engineering, materials, device integration, characterization, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
Work closely with equipment manufacturers and component suppliers on new chamber technologies, hardware designs, components, and process capabilities.
Review process, material, and device-characterization results to identify technical gaps and guide equipment and process-development priorities.
Identify technical and program risks and drive multi-functional teams toward resolution.
Lead development activities from early technology evaluation through equipment/process qualification and implementation.
Communicate technical progress, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to engineering leadership and key partners.
Minimum Qualifications
M.S. or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a related semiconductor discipline.
15+ years of semiconductor proven experience in PVD, thin-film deposition, metallization, process equipment, or related technology development.
Deep technical knowledge of PVD deposition processes and equipment.
Experience supplying to the development, modification, or introduction of PVD equipment, process chambers, or chamber hardware.
Strong understanding of semiconductor device integration and fabrication, including processes before and after metallization.
Experience with device metallization and annealing and an understanding of their relationship to device performance.
Experience leading complex technical development projects involving process, equipment, hardware, materials, and device requirements.
Experience evaluating or introducing new deposition materials and material stacks for advanced device applications.
Knowledge of materials and device characterization and the ability to use characterization results to guide technical development.
Demonstrated experience collaborating with semiconductor equipment manufacturers and component suppliers.
Strong technical leadership, project management, communication, and multi-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience developing or modifying PVD chambers, sources, or other deposition-system hardware.
Experience taking new equipment/process capabilities from concept and development through qualification and manufacturing implementation.
Knowledge of CVD and other thin-film deposition technologies.
Experience working with global equipment and component suppliers.
Travel
Approximately 20% domestic and international travel.
Minimum Qualifications
M.S. or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a related semiconductor discipline.
15+ years of semiconductor proven experience in PVD, thin-film deposition, metallization, process equipment, or related technology development.
About KLA
We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that