Staff Laser Scientist - San Diego, CA, United States
$144,400 - $198,550 USD yearly
Originally posted 2 October 2026 by the employer.
Focus on Laser Produced Plasma Extreme Ultraviolet (LPP-EUV) light sources and DUV lasers.
About the role
What you'll do
- Guide the development of high-level architecture definitions for laser design, including discharge type, gas flow, and optical design.
- Lead product pathfinding from low technical readiness through to system-level validation.
- Create optical, gain, and gas flow models of the system to identify areas for improvement and innovation.
- Develop and execute system and subsystem performance tests, analyze results, and extract actionable knowledge.
- Troubleshoot laser and sub-system issues to enhance system performance.
- Document learning and communicate knowledge to engineering and product development teams.
What you'll need
- PhD with 3+ years or MS degree with 6+ years of relevant experience in laser physics, optics, photonics, or electrical engineering.
- Proven track record of identifying system-level needs and decomposing them into specific technical directions.
- Understanding of laser physics, engineering, and control.
- Hands-on experience with breadboard laser and optical system design, alignment, and performance characterization.
- Understanding of scientific research methods.
Skills: laser design, optical design, laser physics, system-level validation, experimental design, system performance tests
This role has been open 7 days — well below the 50-day median for Semiconductor Equipment Engineering roles.
Semiconductor Equipment Engineering · Optical Laser Systems
|
Open roles in category
42
|
Median days open
50 d
|
Median salary
$161k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | ASML | All employers we track in this specialty (42 roles · 11 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 9 | 42 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 338 | 9796 · 108 employers |
| Median days open | 7 d | 50 d (−43 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $161k |
Skills observed across this category: laser design, optical design, laser physics, system-level validation, experimental design, system performance tests
Who's hiring in this category
- KLA Corporation · 13 open roles · median 120 d
- ASML (this employer) · 9 open roles · median 6 d
- Applied Materials · 7 open roles · median 20 d
- MKS Instruments · 6 open roles · median 101 d
- Aeva Technologies · 1 open role · median 65 d
- Camtek · 1 open role · median 108 d
How we counted: 42 open Semiconductor Equipment Engineering (Optical Laser Systems) roles from 11 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 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.