$117,800 - $200,300 USD yearly
Join the INSIGHT engineering team designing, prototyping, and testing optical hardware for wafer inspection tools.
Originally posted 10 November 2026 by the employer.
About the role
KLA is seeking an Optical Engineer in Milpitas to join the INSIGHT engineering development team. The role focuses on designing, prototyping, and testing new hardware versions in support of the INSIGHT product development roadmap.
What you'll do
- Perform optical design, tolerancing, optics drawing and specification generation, and vendor management.
- Lead optics integration in a clean room environment on complex wafer inspection tools.
- Own tool-level alignment procedures, optical assembly testing procedures, and metrology.
- Own system-level qualification for optics subsystems using diagnostic scripts or calibrations.
- Provide system-level analysis regarding optics key parameters and drive specifications.
- Lead escalation support and root cause analysis for optical system failures and propose standardization solutions.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of related work experience, Master's degree with 3+ years of related work experience, or a Doctorate (Academic) degree with 0 years of experience.
- Experience in optical design, tolerancing, and drawing/spec generation.
- Hands-on experience with optical integration and alignment flows.
- Ability to conduct 10-20% international travel.
Nice to have
- Ph.D. in Optics or Physics, Master's degree with 3+ years of relevant experience, or Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of relevant experience.
- Understanding of geometric and Fourier optics, along with experience in optical system design, simulation, and analysis (stray light analysis, wavefront error, polarization).
- Proficiency with optical design software such as Zemax or Code V.
- Hands-on experience with optical alignment and metrology tools, including interferometers, wavefront sensors, and WLI.
- Experience with programming languages such as MATLAB or Python for data analysis and automation.
More semiconductor jobs: KLA Corporation jobs · Hardware design jobs · California jobs
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 47-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
1134
|
Median days open
47 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$148k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | KLA Corporation | All employers we track in this specialty (1134 roles · 108 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 67 | 1134 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 214 | 6554 · 156 employers |
| Median days open | 61 d | 47 d (+14 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $148k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 87 open roles · median 35 d
- KLA Corporation (this employer) · 66 open roles · median 61 d
- NVIDIA · 59 open roles · median 76 d
- Teradyne · 59 open roles · median 52 d
- ASML · 58 open roles · median 19 d
- Applied Materials · 57 open roles · median 42 d
How we counted: 1134 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 108 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 Nov 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.