Equipment Engineer: Plasma / Dry Etch - Sherman, TX, United States
Originally posted 15 September 2026 by the employer.
This role focuses on Plasma, Oxide, and Metals wafer fabrication equipment, with an emphasis on Dry Etch and Plasma LAM Rainbow 4400/4420 tools.
About the role
This role is responsible for maintaining and optimizing Plasma, Oxide, and Metals wafer fabrication equipment, ensuring optimal performance and availability. The position emphasizes Dry Etch and Plasma LAM Rainbow 4400/4420 tools, focusing on Poly/Silicon etch, Dielectric/oxide etch, and Photoresist strip/ash.
What you'll do
- Drive improvements on existing equipment and processes using data-driven methods.
- Develop and implement preventative maintenance programs.
- Identify and correct chronic problem areas using equipment expertise.
- Provide data for decision making and work with equipment suppliers to improve tool capabilities.
- Direct and manage the installation of new equipment and manage spare parts.
- Drive equipment issues to root cause and implement corrective actions.
What you'll need
- 4-year college degree or Military Electronics certification (considered with semiconductor experience).
- 8+ years experience working on wafer processing equipment.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
- Ability to troubleshoot RF systems and understand fundamental theory of components.
- Knowledge of how to read electronic schematics, mechanical blueprints, pneumatic diagrams, vacuum diagrams, flow charts, cause effect diagrams, and hydraulic system prints.
- Understanding of Etch, CVD, PVD, and Furnace processes.
- Understanding of SPC theory and implementation.
- Good understanding of vacuum theory, dry pumps, cryo pumps, turbo pumps, vacuum sensors, pressure control devices, and MFCs.
- Ability to set up, operate, and interpret output of oscilloscopes, DMMs, RGAs, high voltage probes, pressure and temperature gauges, dial indicators, and RF meters.
- Ability to use a helium leak detector and RGA.
- Ability to troubleshoot to root cause and analyze collected data for continuous improvement.
Nice to have
- Maintenance knowledge in multiple of the following equipment: Lam Rainbow 4400/4420, Plasmatherm Etch, Oxford Deposition and Etch, LAPECVD, PVD, Matrix asher, Koyo vertical furnace, SPTS/KLA Sput, Evatec BAK.
This role has been open 29 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 | 9896 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 64 d | 54 d (+10 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.