Senior Systems Architect, Precision Stage V - (E5) - Santa Clara, CA, United States
$163,000 - $224,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 8 July 2026 by the employer.
About the role
The Senior Systems Architect, Precision Stage V - (E5) owns the end-to-end architecture of high-precision motion stages and mechatronic subsystems across mechanical structure, actuation, sensing, metrology, and motion control. The role establishes the controls roadmap and mechanical/control co-design to deliver nanometer-class positioning, dynamic following error, and throughput targets for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
What you'll do
- Define control system architectures and mechanical layouts for precision stages, establishing servo loop topology, loop partitioning, feedforward strategy, and sensor/actuator trade-offs. - Develop dynamic models of stage mechanics including structural dynamics, resonances, mass/stiffness budgets, active vibration isolation, disturbance rejection, and damping strategies. - Specify and integrate position feedback and metrology hardware—including laser interferometers, encoders, and capacitive/optical sensors—with motion controllers, FPGA/DSP systems, drives, and amplifiers. - Define, tune, and validate multi-axis servo loops, feedforward parameters, and trajectory/motion profiles to achieve positioning and dynamic performance under production conditions. - Lead system down-selection processes, prototype qualification, and troubleshooting for servo instability, control-loop tuning, vibration, and dynamic error sources. - Coordinate with electrical, firmware, and software teams on real-time control implementations, sampling/latency budgets, and drive integration while driving compliance with SEMI S2/S8/S14 and CE standards.
What you'll need
- BS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Controls with 10–15+ years of experience. - Demonstrated knowledge of system engineering, control theory, servo/feedback control design, and multi-axis motion control applied to high-precision motion stages. - Hands-on experience with mechatronic co-design, system identification, dynamic modeling, control-loop tuning, feedforward design, and active vibration isolation/damping for nanometer-class positioning. - Practical experience with motion control hardware and real-time control implementation using motion controllers, FPGA/DSP-based real-time systems, drives, amplifiers, and position feedback sensors (interferometers, encoders, capacitive sensors). - Mechanical engineering background in component selection, building, testing, troubleshooting, and releasing semiconductor capital equipment. - In-depth proficiency with modeling, simulation, and CAD tools including MATLAB/Simulink, Python, and 3D CAD design tools such as Inventor or Siemens NX. - Familiarity with SEMI S2/S8/S14, NFPA 79, F47, CE, and EMI/EMC safety standards.
Nice to have
- MS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Controls. - Managerial experience.
Skills: precision stage, motion control, mechatronic, servo loops, nanometer positioning
This role has been open 107 days — well above the 43-day median for Semiconductor Equipment Engineering roles.
Semiconductor Equipment Engineering · Motion Control Systems
|
Open roles in category
33
|
Median days open
43 d
|
Median salary
$152k
|
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 (33 roles · 10 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 7 | 33 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 1122 | 10066 · 107 employers |
| Median days open | 70 d | 43 d (+27 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $152k |
Skills observed across this category: precision stage, motion control, mechatronic, servo loops, nanometer positioning
Who's hiring in this category
- ASML · 9 open roles · median 1 d
- KLA Corporation · 8 open roles · median 85 d
- Applied Materials (this employer) · 7 open roles · median 69 d
- Onto Innovation · 3 open roles · median 54 d
- FormFactor · 1 open role · median 47 d
- Kulicke & Soffa · 1 open role · median 1 d
How we counted: 33 open Semiconductor Equipment Engineering (Motion Control Systems) roles from 10 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 21 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.