Etch Process Engineer — Plasma Etch Innovator

Applied Materials; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 124,000 - 171,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Materials in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Plasma Etch Process Engineer to design and run plasma etch experiments, analyze results, and drive process improvements. You will work with senior engineers to characterize chamber hardware and support manufacturing environments.

The role requires a Master's degree and 2–5 years of semiconductor process experience, with strong problem-solving and communication skills. Travel up to 10% may be required.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, plus relevant semiconductor process engineering experience.
• Typically, 2-5 years of semiconductor process engineering experience, preferably in plasma etch.
• Experience with semiconductor process development, characterization, or manufacturing environments is preferred.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered, consistent with the AMAT Global Career Framework.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, collect, analyze, and document plasma etch process experiments.
• Support investigation of etch process challenges and contribute to plan development for process improvement.
• Perform etch chamber hardware and process characterization under guidance of senior engineers.
• Troubleshoot routine process issues and perform root cause analysis with guidance from experienced engineers.
• Measure and analyze thin-film and post-etch material properties using standard metrology techniques.

Skills

Plasma etch knowledge

Chamber subsystems

Thin-film characterization

DOE & statistics

Data interpretation

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree

Tools

SEM

XRD

XPS

Job description

Applied Materials in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Plasma Etch Process Engineer to design and run plasma etch experiments, analyze results, and drive process improvements. You will work with senior engineers to characterize chamber hardware and support manufacturing environments.

The role requires a Master's degree and 2–5 years of semiconductor process experience, with strong problem-solving and communication skills. Travel up to 10% may be required.