Lead Process Engineer, High-Purity Ceramic Powders

3M HEALTHCARE; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 202,500; Full time

Job description

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.

What We Offer

Salary: $147,000.00 - $202,500.00
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.

As a Process Engineer

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.

Our Team

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.

The Opportunity

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.

What You’ll Do

• 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).

Key Qualifications

• 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 materials engineering experiments.
• Assess the technical trade‑offs compared to cost trade‑offs.
• Define and validate material measurement/analytical techniques.
• Train engineers on the techniques and guide them in the interpretation of the data.
• Define and implement new methodologies, define and apply new technologies, and/or troubleshoot and resolve significantly complex materials engineering issues/problems for a range of products.
• Interact with key customers to resolve significantly complex engineering issues for a range of products to address our customers High Value Problems (HVPs).
• Generate internal and external documentation for products, presentations, technical reports for integrated products and generate engineering specifications.

Functional Knowledge

• Aqueous chemistry and precipitation kinetics (nucleation and growth control).
• Powder separation and purification methods (filtration, centrifugation, washing).
• Calcination and thermal processing of oxide materials (rotary kiln, belt furnace).
• Particle and materials characterization: PSD, BET, SEM, ICP‑MS, XRD.
• Statistical process control, process consistency, and manufacturing scale‑up.

Leadership

Leads complex technical problems with a structured, systems‑level approach. Owns outcomes and drives execution from concept through stable production. Influences cross‑functional teams spanning R&D, manufacturing, quality, and suppliers.

Problem Solving

Strong root‑cause analysis skills applied to particle‑driven defects and contamination issues. Data‑driven decision making in ambiguous, high‑impact environments.

Impact

Impacts product performance, yield, supplier strategy, and capacity planning by ensuring robust, scalable rare earth powder supply to enable Applied Materials next generation semiconductor equipment.

Additional Information

• Time Type: Full time
• Employee Type: Assignee / Regular
• Travel: Yes, 20% of the Time
• Relocation Eligible: Yes
• Salary offered to a selected candidate will be based on multiple factors including location, hire grade, job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and with consideration of internal equity of our current team members. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. In addition, Applied endeavors to make our careers site accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact us via e‑mail at [e-mail], or by calling our HR Direct Help Line at 877‑612‑7547, option 1, and following the prompts to speak to an HR Advisor. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.