2027 Summer Intern - Physicist/Scientist - PhD, (Santa Clara)
Originally posted 9 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This internship involves forward-looking research and development within the Silicon Product Group, focusing on plasma processing tools. Interns will contribute to understanding atomic-scale physics at surfaces in contact with plasma.
What you'll do
- Design new plasma processing systems.
- Use molecular dynamics simulation to understand fundamental processes at surfaces in contact with plasma.
- Develop new capabilities in internal plasma and feature scale models.
- Use plasma and surface physics models to understand plasma etch and deposition experiments.
- Apply in-house plasma models to understand complex plasma behavior.
What you'll need
- Pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, or a related field.
- Good academic standing with a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
- Proficient in one or more of the following: computational physics, plasma physics, molecular dynamics, plasma chemistry, surface physics, density functional theory, reacting flows, fluid dynamics.
Nice to have
- Knowledge of machine learning applications.
Skills: plasma processing, molecular dynamics, plasma physics, etch, deposition
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 77-day median for Process Engineering roles.
Process Engineering · Semiconductor Process
|
Open roles in category
1044
|
Median days open
77 d
|
Median salary
$148k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Applied Materials | All employers we track in this specialty (1044 roles · 58 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 80 | 1044 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 1102 | 9796 · 108 employers |
| Median days open | 74 d | 77 d (−3 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $148k |
Skills observed across this category: plasma processing, molecular dynamics, plasma physics, etch, deposition
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 347 open roles · median 155 d
- Applied Materials (this employer) · 79 open roles · median 76 d
- GlobalFoundries · 67 open roles · median 108 d
- Texas Instruments · 53 open roles · median 44 d
- STMicroelectronics · 48 open roles · median 43 d
- Entegris · 43 open roles · median 29 d
How we counted: 1044 open Process Engineering (Semiconductor Process) roles from 58 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family row. Figures refresh nightly.