Sr. Electrical Design Engineer (Firmware, DSP, Image Alignment) - Milpitas, CA, United States

Originally posted 9 October 2026 by the employer.

About the role

This role involves developing embedded firmware and algorithms for KLA's run-time alignment systems, connecting image-based measurements with precision motion control. You will help advance the alignment architecture, migrate and optimize algorithms across computing platforms, and deliver reliable solutions.

What you'll do

• Design, implement, and debug C/C++ firmware for real-time image alignment, signal processing, and feedback control on embedded Linux and DSP-based platforms.
• Migrate alignment algorithms from host processors to multicore DSPs, optimizing execution time, memory use, data movement, and synchronization.
• Develop and validate image-offset estimation, digital filtering, and confidence-based alignment methods.
• Partner with motion-control and algorithm engineers to integrate image-based measurements into stage feedback and trajectory correction.
• Define and implement hardware/software interfaces across processors, FPGAs, image-acquisition electronics, and motion controllers.
• Bring up and integrate hardware and firmware using schematics, device datasheets, lab instruments, and embedded debugging tools.
• Own verification from simulation and bench testing through on-system qualification, building automated regression tests.
• Support controlled firmware releases and field escalations through reproducible diagnostics and root-cause analysis.

What you'll need

• Strong C/C++ programming skills in embedded environments, including debugging, concurrency, memory management, and performance optimization.
• Proficiency in Python for test automation and data analysis.
• Hands-on experience with real-time embedded or DSP systems, including interrupts, task scheduling, interprocessor communication, shared memory, and synchronization.
• Solid understanding of digital signal processing and image processing, including filtering, image registration or alignment, and offset estimation.
• Working knowledge of feedback-control fundamentals.
• Experience developing and troubleshooting in Linux, including multithreaded applications and build/debug tools.
• Ability to read schematics and device datasheets, debug register-level interfaces, and use oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, or embedded debuggers.
• Experience with version control such as Git or SVN, code reviews, automated testing, and disciplined firmware qualification and release practices.

Nice to have

• Experience porting and optimizing algorithms between x86 processors and multicore DSPs, including cache-aware design, DMA, and fixed-point/floating-point numerical considerations.
• Experience with semiconductor inspection, machine vision, precision positioning, or other high-speed imaging and motion-control systems.
• Experience with real-time Linux performance analysis, CPU affinity/isolation, scheduler tracing, and latency or jitter troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with BSPs, device drivers, embedded Linux build systems, networking, and peripheral interfaces such as PCIe, SPI, or I2C.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop simulation, reference-data replay, continuous integration, and FPGA-connected high-throughput data paths.