System Design Engineer

Base Pay Range: $124,100.00 - $211,000.00 Annually

Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA

KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits identified below. Interns are eligible for some of the benefits identified below. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed above reflects the minimum and maximum pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Company Overview

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world’s leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow’s electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.

Group/Division

With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLA's Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLA’s metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. The LS-SWIFT Division of KLA’s Global Products Group provides patterned wafer inspection systems for high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. Its mission is to deliver market-leading cost of ownership in defect detection for a broad range of applications in the production of semiconductors. Customers from the foundry, logic, memory, automotive, MEMS, advanced packaging and other markets rely upon high-sample wafer inspection information generated by LS-SWIFT products. LS (Laser Scanning) systems enable cost-effective patterned wafer defect detection for the industry’s most sophisticated process technologies deployed in leading-edge foundry, logic, DRAM, and NAND fabs. SWIFT (Simultaneous Wafer Inspection at Fast Throughput) systems deliver all-wafer-surface (frontside, backside, and edge) macro inspection that is critical for automotive IC, MEMS, and advanced packaging processes as well as foundry/logic and memory fabs. LS-SWIFT operates from a global footprint that includes the US, Singapore, India and Germany, and serves a worldwide customer base across Asia, Europe and North America.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

The LS-SWIFT engineering team is searching for a self-motivated and creative systems engineer to join the development of our next generation DUV laser for use in wafer inspection equipment. Are you ready to join our upbeat and dedicated team?

Systems engineering plays the central role in our product development and this position requires close collaboration with the larger multi-functional team through all product development phases to achieve success. The successful candidate will ensure requirements are met at the part, assembly, and system level to achieve cost, functionality, and performance targets by excelling at the following in daily work:

• Provide relevant and informative critical feedback at design reviews
• Carefully plan and perform experiments to validate prototypes
• Analyze test results by identifying key trends, interpreting meaning, and drawing useful conclusions.
• Craft concise summaries in formal reports that clearly document findings and recommended next steps.

Strong interpersonal skills both oral and written are required for this job. We are looking for candidates who have intellectual curiosity, are natural problem solvers, work well with others, possess a desire to grow and can demonstrate leadership skills.

Key job responsibilities:

• Interpret market requirements and allocate system budgets and specs to meet targeted performance.
• Develop product concepts on the bench to prove feasibility and mitigate technical risks.
• Work with multi-disciplinary functional groups to define, guide, and implement the design.
• Participate in DUV laser integration and testing. This includes building and aligning lasers, designing and building test benches for laser qualification, as well as solving issues and striving for solutions and improvements.
• Support product introduction. This includes training operations and field personnel, crafting and driving procedures and checklists, and solving technical and non-technical problems that can impede product introduction.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate (Academic) Degree and 0 years related work experience; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years
• Must have a strong background in engineering or physical science. Degree in applied optics, physics, mechanical/electrical engineering or related subject areas is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with aligning, debugging and characterizing lasers or other optical systems. Experience with DUV lasers is a plus.
• Strong diagnostic and troubleshooting skills in optics, opto-mechanics and motion control systems.
• Experience in driving projects through the development cycle, including concept, design, prototyping, testing/integration, troubleshooting, and risk management. Project management skills are also helpful.
• Good track record of accurate completion of projects that meet stated requirements.
• Programming experience, particularly in Python, MATLAB, JMP or LabVIEW to collect and analyze image and system data.
• Must have strong communication skills, be able to share technical information with functional groups and provide executive level reports to management and vendors.

The company offers a total rewards package that is competitive and comprehensive including but not limited to the following:  medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other status protected by applicable law. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.