Principal Process Engineer, Etch

TTo 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.

The 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.

In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise. The Principal Process Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for the development, optimization, and control of advanced etch processes. This role drives innovation, resolves complex technical challenges, and ensures robust production performance. In addition, this role will have a simulation & modelling element;

to apply physics-based and computational models that accelerate product development and technology innovation. You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to solve complex technical challenges, optimise system performance, and provide data-driven insights that guide design decisions.

• Lead development and qualification of advanced plasma process technologies.
• Drive process optimization to meet customer specifications.
• Develop and validate simulation models for complex engineering systems.
• Perform CFD, plasma, thermal, electromagnetic, or multi-physics modelling.
• Analyse simulation results and correlate with experimental data.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for reliability issues.
• Mentor engineers and define best practices.
• Interface with customers for demos, qualifications, and issue resolution.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including hardware, software, NPI and manufacturing.
• Liaise with fields teams to ensure successful transfer of processes to field.
• Establish process control strategies and SPC framework.
• Lead in key PLC etch projects.
• Deliver on etch roadmap targets.
• Research published work relevant to KLA's process development.
• Write invention disclosures/patent applications.
• Write technical papers for publication at conferences, seminars etc.
• Communicate results and ideas to management, co-workers, and other teams across the business.

• Experience with semiconductor equipment hardware and process interactions.
• Experience with simulation and modelling tools such as COMSOL, ANSYS, MATLAB/Simulink, OpenFOAM, or Python.
• Experience with semiconductor processes, plasma modelling, CFD, or digital twins is advantageous.
• Strong knowledge and utilization of DOE and statistical analysis.
• Familiarity in failure analysis and defect characterization.
• Data-driven…