Physicist/Scientist: FEP chamber Optics engineer (E3) - Santa Clara, CA, United States
$138,000 - $190,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 30 September 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves engineering solutions for wafer heating and temperature measurement requirements within the Front End Products Business Unit.
What you'll do
- Develop new hardware for semiconductor annealing technologies and tools.
- Design, implement, and conduct lab bench experiments to evaluate feasibility of concepts and prototype hardware.
- Collect, analyze, and present data to a multi-disciplinary team.
- Analyze tool sensor and wafer data to gauge and troubleshoot current tool performance.
- Define performance specifications and testing protocols for critical optical system assemblies.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate optical systems into final products.
What you'll need
- Master of Science in Physics, Applied Optics or Optical Engineering; PhD preferred.
- Strong understanding of optical theory, design principles, and techniques.
- Experience with optical design software (Zemax or CODEV) and non-sequential raytracing (Zemax or LightTools) software.
Nice to have
- Hands-on experience using tools for optical testing, alignment, metrology, and imaging.
- Ability to analyze and interpret data using programming languages such as MATLAB, Python or Mathematica.
- Experience with non-contact temperature measurement.
- Experience operating high power lasers.
- Experience using laboratory measurement automation software such as Labview or Python.
- Knowledge of various optical materials and coatings.
- Experience in working with optical suppliers and product clients.
- Publications in peer-reviewed journals or patents in optics related fields.
Skills: optical sciences, wafer heating, temperature measurement, optical design software, Zemax, CODEV
This role has been open 9 days — well below the 51-day median for Semiconductor Equipment Engineering roles.
Semiconductor Equipment Engineering · Optical Laser Systems
|
Open roles in category
42
|
Median days open
51 d
|
Median salary
$161k
|
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 (42 roles · 11 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 7 | 42 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 1102 | 9796 · 108 employers |
| Median days open | 21 d | 51 d (−30 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $161k |
Skills observed across this category: optical sciences, wafer heating, temperature measurement, optical design software, Zemax, CODEV
Who's hiring in this category
- KLA Corporation · 13 open roles · median 121 d
- ASML · 9 open roles · median 7 d
- Applied Materials (this employer) · 7 open roles · median 21 d
- MKS Instruments · 6 open roles · median 102 d
- Aeva Technologies · 1 open role · median 66 d
- Camtek · 1 open role · median 109 d
How we counted: 42 open Semiconductor Equipment Engineering (Optical Laser Systems) roles from 11 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 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.