Product Development Engineer

Company Overview KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and in 2019 we invested 15% of sales back into R & D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the worlds leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrows electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us. Group/Division With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLAs Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLAs metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. The Film and Scatterometry Technology (FaST) Division provides industry leading metrology solutions for worldwide semiconductor IC manufacturers. The FaST Division portfolio of metrology products includes hardware and software solutions for optical film thickness, optical critical dimension (CD), composition, and resistivity measurement systems. These products are essential for the IC manufacturers as they provide critical metrology capabilities for the development and implementation of their advanced IC processes. The FaST division is committed to support our customers to achieve performance entitlement of our solution and we effectively partner with our customers from their early research and development phase to the high volume in-line manufacturing implementation specific for their process needs. The division consists of a global team located in US, Israel, China, and India. Responsibilities The Product Development Engineer plays a central role throughout the different phases of the product life cycle. This position is part of a team responsible for developing and supporting next generation Critical Dimension (CD) metrology systems. The candidate will play a key role in next generation product development, from technology evaluation and selection, specifications development, product validation, verification, transfer to manufacturing, and support of customer ramp. The candidate will maintain ownership of the product through the life cycle and be responsibility for improvement projects and support of field and manufacturing issues. The ideal candidate will demonstrate leadership attributes and be able to lead high performing teams to achieve program objectives in a timely manner. The engineer must be able to complete the initial diagnosis of any system issue, uncover root cause and devise or drive a team to define solutions for complex problems. Must be able to support the detailed analysis and tradeoffs for the various solutions, develop plan of action, and effectively communicate plan to colleagues to execute. Must have the knowledge and experience to effectively work with experts in X-ray technology, optics, electronics, mechanics, software, and algorithms as required to resolve issues. Some travel may be required to support product transition to manufacturing, beta support at customer sites, and for complex cases that require on-site support. Additional Details Regarding Responsibilities - Leading prototype test and Beta tool activities including regular health checks, maintenance, troubleshooting and repair, system calibrations, SW/HW upgrades, revision control, testing, debugging and data analysis of measurement performance. - Contribute to error budget analysis and requirements definition through modeling of interaction with specimens under test - Develop concepts and designs for the next generation system and subsystems. - Resolve inconsistencies between subsystems, conduct trade-off studies, identify high-risk areas, and develop risk mitigation strategies. - Ownership of creation and execution of prototype test plans for complex subsystems. This will involve integration of subsystems, testing against design tolerances and marketing specifications, analyzing test data, and generation of reports. - Drive product or feature introduction. This includes development of first drafts of system alignment and calibration procedures, training of operations and field personnel, and solving technical issues that may impact product introduction and ramp. - Drive team to resolve system issues at customer site or in manufacturing. Work with engineers at locations around the globe to solve issues escalated to engineering: establish root cause, develop plan of action (POA), guide local teams in execution of POA, and document issues and solutions to improve design and/or procedures so that they may be implemented across the fleet in a standard manner. - Support of Beta tool install at customer sites - Will require some travel (< 25%). Qualifications - PhD in Physics, Optics, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related technical field. - Knowledge of scattering/diffraction theory - Strong programming and scripting skills in Python is highly desirable. - Strong background in engineering or the physical sciences with demonstrated analysis and problem solving skills. - Hands-on experience constructing and aligning opto-mechanical and/or x-ray systems is highly desirable. - Experience working with vacuum systems and ultra-fast lasers preferred. - Experience in the semiconductor capital equipment or manufacturing industry is desirable. KLA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law. Minimum Qualifications We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees. KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other status protected by applicable law. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at to request accommodation.