Patterning Process Engineer - Santa Clara, CA, United States
$124,000 - $171,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 23 July 2026 by the employer. Relisted by the employer on 28 August 2026.
About the role
As a Process Engineer, you will design and optimize manufacturing processes for semiconductor and display manufacturing technologies. You will develop patterning test vehicle flows and establish process windows, specifications, and material requirements.
What you'll do
- Develop and optimize new or modified patterning test vehicle flows to support advanced patterning technology development.
- Compile, analyze, and evaluate experimental data to establish process windows, specifications, and material requirements.
- Drive improvements in key process metrics including critical dimension (CD), CD uniformity (CDU), line edge roughness (LER), line width roughness (LWR), depth of focus (DOF), exposure latitude, statistical process control (SPC), yield, and defectivity.
- Partner with process and integration engineering teams to develop integrated process flows, implement methodologies, troubleshoot process challenges, and perform root cause analysis.
- Collaborate with external partners on joint development programs by designing experiments, analyzing data, and preparing technical reports.
- Engage directly with internal and external customers to address complex process engineering challenges and communicate technical findings.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 4 to 7 years of semiconductor experience in advanced lithography, patterning, or semiconductor process development.
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems through hands-on experimentation, strong analytical skills, and engineering judgment.
- Strong data analysis, troubleshooting, and root cause investigation skills.
- Experience working effectively across cross-functional teams to resolve technical issues.
Skills: patterning test vehicle, CD uniformity, line edge roughness, lithography, process windows
This role has been open 88 days — slightly above the 79-day median for Process Engineering roles.
Process Engineering · Semiconductor Process
|
Open roles in category
1035
|
Median days open
79 d
|
Median salary
$139k
|
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 (1035 roles · 56 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 75 | 1035 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 1124 | 9979 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 69 d | 79 d (−10 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $139k |
Skills observed across this category: patterning test vehicle, CD uniformity, line edge roughness, lithography, process windows
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 351 open roles · median 139 d
- GlobalFoundries · 77 open roles · median 118 d
- Applied Materials (this employer) · 74 open roles · median 74 d
- Texas Instruments · 54 open roles · median 54 d
- STMicroelectronics · 51 open roles · median 53 d
- Entegris · 43 open roles · median 38 d
How we counted: 1035 open Process Engineering (Semiconductor Process) roles from 56 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 19 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.