Process Engineer 3 - US-CA-Fremont (1003), United States
$86,000 - $192,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 12 October 2026 by the employer.
This role focuses on Lam's etch and deposition products.
About the role
As a Process Engineer at Lam Research, you will conduct process engineering research, development, and evaluation for semiconductor equipment and systems, focusing on atomic precision, material science, and surface engineering. This role involves developing advanced process formulations and defining equipment hardware for processing requirements.
What you'll do
- Conduct process engineering research, development, and evaluation in support of Lam’s semiconductor equipment and systems.
- Review and enhance processing techniques and methods applied in the manufacture and fabrication of products.
- Develop and sustain new processes and process improvements to reduce production costs and increase yields.
- Compile and analyze test data to establish next steps in process development and determine appropriate limits and variables for process specifications.
- Collaborate internally to plan, collect data, analyze results, and report on customer demos for existing process applications.
- Contribute to product development and release activities supporting the semiconductor roadmap.
- Provide leadership, clear direction, and guidance to process technicians to support execution activities.
What you'll need
- Master’s degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or Physics or related field with 3+ years of experience; or a PhD with no previous professional experience; or equivalent experience.
Nice to have
- Familiarity with working in a laboratory and on semiconductor equipment with experience in surface preparation and analytical techniques.
- In-depth understanding of Statistical Process Control (SPC) and/or Design of Experiments (DOE).
- Highly proficient in MATLAB, Python, or other similar scientific computing language.
- Working knowledge of statistical analysis and problem-solving methodologies.
- Experience with statistical tools (JMP, Minitab, etc.).
- Background in Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), or Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD).
- Background in Plasma Physics, Reactive Ion Etching (RIE), Atomic Layer Etching (ALE), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), Capacitively Coupled Plasma (CCP).
- Knowledge of Material synthesis and material characterization.
- Experience working in a collaborative and matrixed environment with diverse teams, semiconductor customers, and/or partners.
Skills: process engineering research, semiconductor equipment, ALD, CVD, RIE
This role has been open 2 days — well below the 78-day median for Semiconductor Equipment Engineering roles.
Semiconductor Equipment Engineering · Deposition Process
|
Open roles in category
108
|
Median days open
78 d
|
Median salary
$137k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Lam Research | All employers we track in this specialty (108 roles · 18 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 20 | 108 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 802 | 9896 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 79 d | 78 d (+1 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $137k |
Skills observed across this category: process engineering research, semiconductor equipment, ALD, CVD, RIE
Who's hiring in this category
- ASM International · 28 open roles · median 71 d
- Applied Materials · 20 open roles · median 50 d
- Lam Research (this employer) · 20 open roles · median 79 d
- Micron Technology · 6 open roles · median 106 d
- onsemi · 5 open roles · median 13 d
- Veeco Instruments · 5 open roles · median 78 d
How we counted: 108 open Semiconductor Equipment Engineering (Deposition Process) roles from 18 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 15 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.