Process Technician - Santa Clara, CA, United States
$29 - $40 USD hourly
Originally posted 8 September 2026 by the employer.
Work with wafers, reactors, and thin film processes.
About the role
As a Process Technician, you will be responsible for preparing wafers for experimentation, operating reactors to perform thin film processes, and using scanning electron microscopes for analyses and imaging. This role focuses on process optimization to drive productivity, quality, and efficiency in manufacturing processes.
What you'll do
- Prepare wafers for experimentation, including cleaning and preparation of reactors.
- Operate reactors to perform thin film processes.
- Operate scanning electron microscope for cross-section and top-view, critical dimension (CD), or energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis and imaging.
- Record process conditions and experimental observations.
- Perform routine maintenance procedures including flash and plasma clean on scanning electron microscope (SEM) system software.
- Evaluate wafers and thin films, preparing graphs and tables summarizing results.
What you'll need
- Technical Diploma
- 2-4 years of experience
- Ability to understand basic scanning electron microscope (SEM) principles.
- Expertise in troubleshooting, equipment maintenance, and process optimization.
- Ability to prepare cross-section samples for scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis.
Nice to have
- Experience with multiple technology products.
This role has been open 36 days — well below the 54-day median for Semiconductor Equipment Engineering roles.
Semiconductor Equipment Engineering · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
3787
|
Median days open
54 d
|
Median salary
$126k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Applied Materials | All employers we track in this specialty (3787 roles · 83 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 619 | 3787 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 1113 | 9879 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 52 d | 54 d (−2 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $126k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Applied Materials (this employer) · 616 open roles · median 54 d
- Lam Research · 563 open roles · median 42 d
- Micron Technology · 284 open roles · median 42 d
- KLA Corporation · 246 open roles · median 67 d
- ASML · 188 open roles · median 69 d
- ASM International · 162 open roles · median 83 d
How we counted: 3787 open Semiconductor Equipment Engineering (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 83 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.