Mechanical Design Engineer (vacuum system) - Milpitas, CA, United States
$117,800 - $200,300 USD yearly
Originally posted 13 July 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role leads the mechanical design, integration, and validation of complex multi-chamber vacuum subsystems within the RAPID reticle inspection division. You will develop ultra-clean vacuum (UCV) system hardware, structural frames, and precision mechanisms while ensuring robust contamination control and system stability.
What you'll do
- Design and develop ultra-clean vacuum system hardware, including chamber structures, interfaces, seals, materials/finishes, and internal components adhering to UCV principles. - Develop mechanical concepts and detailed designs for chambers, frames, interfaces, mounts, enclosures, and precision mechanisms, generating production drawings and technical specifications. - Drive structural, thermal, fluid, and vibrational analyses to optimize component performance, vibration isolation, optical stability, and stage dynamic performance. - Perform first-order and detailed analyses for pumping configurations, conductance effects, and subsystem-level performance impacts across multi-chamber tools. - Lead mechanical and system-level design reviews (CDR, DDR), coordinating requirements with optics, metrology, electrical, controls/PLC, and software teams. - Manage engineering risk using FMEA, issue tracking, and corrective actions from new product introduction (NPI) into high-volume manufacturing (HVM).
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of experience, Master's degree with 4+ years of experience, or PhD with 2+ years of experience in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, EE, or a related field. - Experience in mechanical design and integration of complex systems such as semiconductor equipment, precision instrumentation, or multi-chamber tools. - Strong technical background in precision design, structural/thermal/vibration analysis, contamination control, and materials/finishes selection. - Proficiency in 3D CAD and PLM workflows, along with analysis tools such as ANSYS or COMSOL. - Scripting capability in Python or Matlab for data processing and engineering modeling.
Nice to have
- 8–12+ years of experience in mechanical design and integration of complex systems. - Familiarity with vacuum principles including pumping, conductance, gauging, and cleanliness. - Experience collaborating on vacuum operation schemes and PLC-controlled interlocks.
This role has been open 99 days — well above the 52-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
973
|
Median days open
52 d
|
Median salary
$155k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | KLA Corporation | All employers we track in this specialty (973 roles · 101 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 63 | 973 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 207 | 6222 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 46 d | 52 d (−6 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $155k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 76 open roles · median 36 d
- KLA Corporation (this employer) · 65 open roles · median 46 d
- Teradyne · 56 open roles · median 32 d
- NVIDIA · 52 open roles · median 67 d
- Applied Materials · 50 open roles · median 68 d
- AMD · 46 open roles · median 50 d
How we counted: 973 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 101 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 20 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 Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.