Cleaning, Contamination Control & Validation Engineer E4

Applied Materials • Santa Clara, CA

1d • $133,500 - $183,500 • Onsite

About The Position

The Cleaning, Contamination Control & Validation Engineer is a Quality team role that partners and supports the Engineering organization on the development of cleaning and contamination control methods, introduction of new methods and tools for contamination detection and improvement, defect troubleshooting & failure analysis and customer escalations issue resolutions. Working across the product lifecycle from Suppliers – Manufacturing – Field operations — this engineer develops contamination control solutions on part/module/system level, authors requirements and validation documentation, and drives cross-functional alignment to ensure product integrity, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or related technical field.
• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in related semiconductor field with preferable semiconductor fabrication field experience
• Experience of semiconductor fabrication environmental, health monitoring and testing methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience authoring validation protocols and contamination control documentation.
• Strong working knowledge of FMEA, risk management frameworks, and control plans.
• Familiarity with clean room protocols, SEMI standards, ISO, and other equivalent regulatory requirements.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate technical requirements for non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (M.S. or MBA) in a relevant field.
• Certification in Quality Engineering (CQE), Quality Management (CQM), or equivalent.
• Six Sigma certification, proficiency with quality management systems (QMS)

Responsibilities

• Partner with and support the Engineering organization to develop cleaning methods and contamination control solutions for current and advanced node equipment, based on physics, material interactions, and chemical reactions.
• Map the end-to-end flow from supply chain and manufacturing process to the field to identify all potential contamination introduction points.
• Conduct risk assessments (FMEA) at each process stage — supplier, incoming inspection, manufacturing in-process, packaging, shipment, and customer.
• Define contamination categories (metallic/ hydrocarbon/ organic particulates, chemical, cross-contamination etc.) relevant to each stage and equipment set.
• Work with stakeholders to identify potential solutions for current and advanced node and apply defense lines wherever applicable to control overall contamination.
• Support Engineering in qualifying cleaning processes and contamination control requirements on part/module/system level for new technology.
• Maintain a live risk register and ensure timely remediation of identified gaps.
• Handling of customer escalations related to cleaning and contamination issues
• Develop, evaluate, and qualify new methods and tools for contamination detection, measurement, and monitoring across process stages.
• Incorporate contamination inspection and detection tools based on needs across process stages, working with Engineering and Manufacturing.
• Drive measurement and detection capability improvements, including sensitivity, throughput, and correlation of signals to contamination sources.
• Benchmark detection methods and contamination control practices against industry standards and regulatory guidance to identify improvement opportunities.
• Define acceptance criteria, sampling plans, and testing requirements enabled by new detection methods and tools.
• Serve as the Quality point of contact for contamination-related customer escalations, partnering with Engineering, Field, and Manufacturing to drive resolution.
• Lead root cause analysis (8D, 5-Why, fishbone) and corrective/preventive action development for contamination events and customer complaints.
• Analyze contamination-related non-conformances, customer complaints, and field findings to drive containment and systemic improvements.
• Communicate escalation status, containment, and corrective actions to customers and internal stakeholders as required.
• Troubleshoot defect problems, perform root cause analysis and resolve moderately difficult defect-quality issues.
• Design the failure analysis (FA) DOE for the key defect critical components to troubleshoot the wafer defect issue on the key R&D programs and major customer escalations.
• Perform the failure analysis, collect and analyze the data within safety guidelines; document and communicate the FA observation and recommend the solution path in defect troubleshooting.
• Interact with vendors/suppliers/manufacturing to evaluate/troubleshoot the latest defect related parts quality issues.
• Develop and publish best known method (BKM) procedures for the defect/contamination control.
• Author and maintain Contamination Control Plans, Validation Master Plans, and stage-specific Control Requirement Documents.
• Create and maintain validation protocols for equipment, processes, and cleanroom environments tied to contamination control.
• Develop supplier contamination control specifications with stakeholders and incorporate them into supplier quality agreements.
• Ensure all documentation is compliant with applicable regulatory standards (example: SEMI, ISO, customer-specific requirements).
• Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for contamination control, engaging Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Field, and Quality Assurance.
• Facilitate stakeholder reviews of risk assessments, detection methods, and control measures to secure cross-functional alignment.
• Manage revalidation triggers including changes in equipment, supplier, process, or environment, and drive continuous improvement of contamination control.

Benefits

• supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career
• comprehensive benefits package
• participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior