$172,875 - $253,550 USD yearly
Originally posted 14 November 2026 by the employer.
About the role
As a Principal Plasma and Laser Physics Engineer on the EUV Source Performance team in San Diego, you will ensure ASML’s EUV light sources meet customer performance requirements. You will work across laser physics, plasma physics, optics, controls, data analysis, and system engineering throughout the product development lifecycle.
What you'll do
- Serve as a technical expert in EUV light source systems, including laser light generation and amplification, laser-plasma interaction, debris mitigation, optics, and control systems.
- Apply physics-based models, analytical methods, and experimental techniques to characterize and improve EUV source performance.
- Design and execute experiments to validate hardware and software performance, verify system and subsystem requirements, and investigate technical issues.
- Collect, process, and analyze large data sets using MATLAB and Python to assess system performance, identify technical risks, and isolate root causes.
- Develop and review system and subsystem test plans to ensure traceability between functional requirements, test methods, and performance results.
- Lead structured troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for system-level issues, supporting customer-site escalations through remote and on-site troubleshooting.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years, Master’s degree with 8+ years, or PhD with 5+ years of relevant experience in Plasma Physics, Engineering Physics, Applied Physics, or a related technical discipline.
- Knowledge and experience in one or more areas: optics, lasers, laser-induced plasma, plasma physics, optical metrology, or control systems.
- Experience applying physics and engineering principles to system-level problems, including complex system or subsystem integration, characterization, validation, and troubleshooting.
- Experience designing experiments, developing test plans, analyzing results, and performing root-cause analysis.
- Proficiency with data analysis and scientific computing tools such as MATLAB and Python.
- Hands-on ability to set up and operate optical, laser, plasma, electrical, and diagnostic test equipment.
Nice to have
- Experience with semiconductor equipment development or other complex high-tech systems.
Skills: laser physics, plasma physics, EUV, optics, MATLAB, system engineering
More semiconductor jobs: ASML jobs · Equipment engineering jobs · San Diego jobs
First seen in our index 0 days ago, well below the 47-day median for Semiconductor Equipment Engineering roles.
Semiconductor Equipment Engineering · Optical Laser Systems
|
Open roles in category
52
|
Median days since first seen
47 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$158k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | ASML | All employers we track in this specialty (52 roles · 12 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 13 | 52 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 390 | 10404 · 119 employers |
| Median days since first seen | 39 d | 47 d (+8 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | n/a | $158k |
Skills observed across this category: laser physics, plasma physics, EUV, optics, MATLAB, system engineering
Who's hiring in this category
- KLA Corporation · 15 open roles · median 128 d
- ASML (this employer) · 12 open roles · median 40 d
- MKS Instruments · 7 open roles · median 60 d
- Applied Materials · 5 open roles · median 56 d
- Keysight Technologies · 4 open roles · median 20 d
- Teradyne · 2 open roles · median 95 d
How we counted: 52 open Semiconductor Equipment Engineering (Optical Laser Systems) roles from 12 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 14 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, and is counted in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family row. Days are counted from when our index first saw each posting, not from the employer's original posting date.