Senior System Engineer

Senior Software & Systems Engineer - Semiconductor Diagnostics

San Jose, CA | Full-time | $130,000 – $175,000

My client is a specialist engineering company in San Jose that builds multi-million-dollar diagnostic instruments used by leading semiconductor manufacturers. Their tools combine laser scanning microscopy, photon emission analysis, and CAD navigation to identify defects at the transistor level - accelerating silicon debug and improving yield.

This is not a typical software role. You will write real-time control systems that synchronise lasers, precision motion stages, and high-bandwidth electronics, while building the visualisation tools that failure analysis engineers rely on to find faults and validate designs.

If you have a background in scientific instrumentation software and a deep understanding of semiconductor physics, this is one of the most technically challenging and impactful roles available in the Bay Area right now.

• Develop and maintain software controlling high-precision optical and electronic instrumentation for semiconductor failure analysis
• Design control systems that interface with CAD databases (e.g. Synopsys Avalon) for real-time transistor-level targeting
• Build high-performance C#/WPF GUIs to visualise photon emission data, waveforms, and device maps
• Lead integration across motion control, laser timing, optical subsystems, and signal acquisition hardware
• Collaborate with hardware engineers and FA specialists to translate complex diagnostics into intuitive tools
• Troubleshoot system-level interactions and drive performance optimisation across the full stack
• Document architecture, workflows, and test plans

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or Semiconductor Device Engineering
• 5+ years developing control software for scientific or diagnostic instruments in the semiconductor industry
• Strong C++ and C# programming skills with WPF experience on Windows platforms
• Solid understanding of semiconductor device physics and failure mechanisms
• Experience with CAD navigation tools such as Synopsys Avalon

• Hands‑on experience with TIVA, LIVA, LADA, OBIRCH, or photon emission techniques
• Background in laser microscopy or optics-based instrumentation
• Familiarity with hardware interfaces: USB, PCIe, FPGA, RS-232/485
• Prior experience at companies in the semiconductor equipment space
• Real-time data processing and high-performance visualisation for complex datasets

• Base salary: $130,000 – $175,000 (dependent on experience)
• Medical (PPO & HMO), dental, vision, and life insurance - effective first of month after hire
• 401(k) plan and FSA - eligible after 90 days
• Discretionary quarterly bonus programme
• 16 days PTO per year