Principal Applications Engineer, PVD

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/Division 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.

What You'll DoIn this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.

Primary Purpose of Role Working as part of the PVD Applications team the primary responsibility of this role will be the development of advanced deposition technology. This will involve working on a wide range of materials and applications and developing new hardware and processes to meet market requirements.

Additional responsibilities will include overseeing and supervision of junior engineers, writing technical reports for both internal and external use, reviews of technical literature, generating IP submissions and collaborating with other business units as required.  There may also be some requirement to write and review process specifications. This role will also involve advising both KLA field teams and other members of the Newport team on application development and process tuning.

There will be opportunity to take on Project Management tasks, coordinating with other teams.

This position will involve some international travel. Occasional shift working may be required.

Key Responsibilities Development of PVD processes to meet technology roadmap targets and/or customer requirements

Design of experiments and the assessment of results using analytical equipment and appropriate software packages

Undertake problem solving and trouble-shooting

Provide regular updates to management on progress of development work Summarise results in a written report or presentation

Plan work and execute plans in a safe and timely manner

Contribute constructively to the work of project teams for new products and processes

Research into 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

Experience

The successful candidate will have:

Knowledge and/or experience of thin film deposition techniques, plasma systems & high vacuum technology

Preferably some experience or knowledge of computer simulation methods

An ability to design experiments and analyse data to rapidly identify solutions to complex problems

Good analytical skills including the ability to carry out metrology…