Applications Engineer - Santa Clara, CA, United States
Originally posted 14 September 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role is responsible for developing laser-based materials processing solutions, supporting products across the enterprise by working closely with sales and product engineering teams to solve customer problems and prove feasibility of laser-based processes. The role will expose the candidate to laser technologies spanning solid state, CO2, excimer, and fiber and processes including cutting, welding, ablation, and surface treatment.
What you'll do
- Develop new laser-based applications and related solutions to bring new business opportunities in the material processing market.
- Provide technical sales support in assessing potential application of company products to meet customer needs.
- Deliver technical report documentation of lab and product management related activities.
- Assist sales on pre-sale or post-sale application related problems in the applications laboratory or on-site.
- Apply laser theory/operation and industrial applications of welding, fusion cutting, surface modification, and other material processing processes.
- Design and build prototype tooling for the lab and communicate relevant build specifications to the design team.
What you'll need
- BS, MS or PhD in Engineering or equivalent discipline.
- Minimum of 2 years of experience for BS, or advanced degrees with no experience in laser applications but with laser or optics knowledge.
- Programming knowledge of G-code and robot language.
- Competency working with image, vector, and CAD files in programs like SolidWorks, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCad, Cagila 2D/3D, and post-processor programs.
- Working knowledge of tooling, fixturing, and indexing precision mechanical alignment.
Nice to have
- Experience working with lasers, optics, or material processing in a laboratory environment and strong technical knowledge of industrial laser products.
- Previous experience interacting directly with customers in the sales/pre-sale stage.
This role has been open 30 days — well below the 54-day median for Semiconductor Equipment Engineering roles.
Semiconductor Equipment Engineering · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
3787
|
Median days open
54 d
|
Median salary
$126k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Coherent Corp | All employers we track in this specialty (3787 roles · 83 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 43 | 3787 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 136 | 9891 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 65 d | 54 d (+11 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $126k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Applied Materials · 616 open roles · median 54 d
- Lam Research · 563 open roles · median 42 d
- Micron Technology · 284 open roles · median 42 d
- KLA Corporation · 246 open roles · median 67 d
- ASML · 188 open roles · median 69 d
- ASM International · 162 open roles · median 83 d
How we counted: 3787 open Semiconductor Equipment Engineering (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 83 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 15 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.