Systems Engineer, Platform Design & Development

Applied Materials; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 221,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus program

Stock award program

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Applied Materials is seeking a Systems Engineer, Platform & Integration in Santa Clara to design, integrate, and optimize complex optical subsystems for semiconductor tools. You will work with cross-functional teams to translate process requirements into robust mechanical, electrical, and optical designs.

The role involves leading architecture trade-offs, prototyping, and qualification of subsystems, with on-site and remote field support, and travel up to 10%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 4–7 years of hands-on experience in industrial design, integration, and testing of Semiconductor equipment Platforms and Systems for high-precision optical processing, metrology, or inspection.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture definition, design, integration, and testing of advanced platforms and optical subsystems within semiconductor process equipment (e.g., etch, CMP, inspection, and metrology platforms)
• Design and integrate precision mechanical, opto-mechanical, and optical components, assemblies, and subsystems including frames, structures, panels, stages, sample transfer mechanisms, gas and liquid delivery subsystems, environmental and temperature controls, motion control, mounts, optical lenses, illumination sources, beam delivery systems, interferometers, polarization optics, optical coatings, filters, mirrors, prisms, and opto-mechanical assemblies
• Define and flow down system engineering specifications aligned to Applied Materials tool performance targets, including throughput, yield, uptime, and cost of ownership
• Collaborate closely with process engineers, product management, and platform engineering teams to translate semiconductor process requirements into robust mechanical, electrical, control, optomechanical, and optical designs
• Lead mechanical, opto-mechanical, and optical architecture trade-offs and design reviews, driving data-based decisions across performance, cost, reliability, and manufacturability
• Prototype, integrate, and qualify mechanical, opto-mechanical, and optical subsystems within complex wafer processing tools, including alignment, calibration, and system verification

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Job description

Who We Are

Applied Materials is the global leader in materials science and engineering solutions that are at the foundation of virtually every new semiconductor chip and advanced display in the world. The equipment that we create and service is essential to advancing AI and accelerating the commercialization of next-generation semiconductor chips. Join us and push the boundaries of materials science and engineering in a company at the foundation of the electronics industry. The work we do together advances the world's technology.

Who We Are

Applied Materials is the global leader in materials science and engineering solutions that are at the foundation of virtually every new semiconductor chip and advanced display in the world. The equipment that we create and service is essential to advancing AI and accelerating the commercialization of next-generation semiconductor chips. Join us and push the boundaries of materials science and engineering in a company at the foundation of the electronics industry. The work we do together advances the world's technology.

What We Offer

Salary: $161,000.00 - $221,000.00

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. Visit our Careers website to learn more.

As a Systems Engineer, you’ll design, integrate, and optimize complex systems that drive the semiconductor industry forward. Your expertise in systems thinking and problem-solving is essential as you collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop advanced solutions to intricate processes and writing system specifications. You’ll be responsible for analyzing requirements, defining system architectures, conducting thorough testing, and ensuring seamless integration of subsystems. Additionally, you’ll identify and mitigate risks, confirming that our systems meet the highest quality standards and exceed customer expectations.

Systems Engineer, Platform & Integration – Applied Materials

Role Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture definition, design, integration, and testing of advanced platforms and optical subsystems within semiconductor process equipment (e.g., etch, CMP, inspection, and metrology platforms)
• Design and integrate precision mechanical, opto-mechanical, and optical components, assemblies, and subsystems including frames, structures, panels, stages, sample transfer mechanisms, , gas and liquid delivery subsystems, environmental and temperature controls, motion control, mounts, optical lenses, illumination sources, beam delivery systems, interferometers, polarization optics, optical coatings, filters, mirrors, prisms, and opto-mechanical assemblies
• Define and flow down system engineering specifications aligned to Applied Materials tool performance targets, including throughput, yield, uptime, and cost of ownership
• Collaborate closely with process engineers, product management, and platform engineering teams to translate semiconductor process requirements into robust mechanical, electrical, control, optomechanical, and optical designs
• Lead mechanical, opto-mechanical, and optical architecture trade-offs and design reviews, driving data-based decisions across performance, cost, reliability, and manufacturability
• Prototype, integrate, and qualify mechanical, opto-mechanical, and optical subsystems within complex wafer processing tools, including alignment, calibration, and system verification
• Partner with global suppliers to source, evaluate, and qualify mechanical, optomechanical, and optical components and subsystems in accordance with Applied Materials quality and reliability standards
• Conduct rigorous validation and reliability testing, ensuring compliance with SEMI standards and internal tool qualification requirements
• Diagnose and resolve issues related to performance degradation, contamination, drift, and environmental sensitivities within fab conditions
• Lead and support system integration and tool bring-up as necessary, ensuring seamless interaction between semiconductor platform components and subsystems, mechanical, gas-delivery, and electrical assemblies, optics, sensors, motion systems, electronics, and control software
• Drive design for manufacturability (DFM), serviceability, and cost optimization to enable scalable production and field support
• Work cross-functionally across mechanical, electrical, optics, physics, process engineering, algorithms, electronics, and embedded software disciplines
• Provide onsite and remote support to field service and customer engineering teams, including troubleshooting within semiconductor fabrication facilities

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 4–7 years of hands-on experience in industrial design, integration, and testing of Semiconductor equipment Platforms and Systems for high-precision optical processing, metrology, or inspection

Additional Information

Time Type

Full time

Employee Type

Assignee / Regular

Travel

Yes, 10% of the Time

Relocation Eligible

Yes

The 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.

For all sales roles, the posted salary range is the Target Total Cash (TTC) range for the role, which is the sum of base salary and target bonus amount at 100% goal achievement.

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 email 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.