Lead Process Engineer, High-Purity Ceramic Powders

Who We Are

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting‑edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips – the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world – like AI and IoT.

If you want to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next generation technology, join us to deliver material innovation that changes the world.

Salary: $ - $

Location:

Santa Clara, CA

You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees.

We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits.

You’ll play a crucial role in designing and optimizing manufacturing processes for display and semiconductor manufacturing technologies. You will collect and analyze data, perform hardware characterization, and troubleshoot engineering issues. You'll also measure film properties, generate technical documentation, and engage with customers to resolve concerns. Process Engineers collaborate with vendors and suppliers, and become familiar with implementing new technologies and products.

You will experiment, learn, and collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the semiconductor and display industries, partnering with our globally recognized R&D teams on state‑of‑the‑art research and development projects.

The Materials Center of Excellence (MCOE) team is responsible for developing and productization of chamber materials and critical components to enable Applied Material Customers to modify materials at atomic levels on the industrial scale with world class productivity and yield.

This role supports development, scale‑up, and manufacturing control of high‑purity ceramic and rare‑earth oxide powders spanning aqueous precipitation through calcination and final particle classification. The position is highly visible within MCOE and directly impacts contamination control, defectivity, and yield performance for semiconductor hardware.

• Lead wet chemical powder manufacturing processes including controlled precipitation, redox chemistry, washing, filtration, drying, and calcination.
• Drive purity, particle size distribution (PSD), morphology, and agglomeration control across multiple product streams.
• Scale processes from lab to pilot to high‑volume manufacturing, including equipment qualification and production ramp.
• Establish process windows, QA/QC checkpoints, SPC, and control plans to ensure long‑term production consistency.
• Partner with suppliers to manage feedstock variability and product quality.
• Conduct failure analysis and root‑cause investigations tied to particle‑driven defects and downstream hardware performance.
• Define and align product specifications, guardrails, and measurement methodologies with application requirements.
• Support capacity expansion and new material introductions (e.g., yttrium, terbium, and other rare earth elements).

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field (Masters or Ph.D. preferred).
• 5–10+ years of experience in powder, ceramics, wet chemical, or specialty materials manufacturing.
• Hands‑on experience with high‑purity materials and contamination‑sensitive environments.
• Demonstrated success scaling chemical or materials processes from development into manufacturing.
• Develop, plan and execute material engineering projects for a range of projects.
• Design, collect data, analyze and compile reports on significantly complex…