Customer Engagement Applications Engineer - SFS

KLA•Hillsboro, OR

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Join KLA’s Surfscan Division, the leader in unpatterned wafer inspection for semiconductor manufacturing. Our team of apps engineers, technologists, and product specialists develop solutions that help advanced semiconductor fabs and equipment manufacturers qualify and monitor process tools. Surfscan equipment detects defects and process non-uniformities early, enabling proactive yield management. As an Applications Engineer, you’ll partner with customers and cross-functional teams to optimize SFS tools, create innovative applications, and drive enhancements for next-generation products. This role blends deep technical expertise with customer engagement to ensure our solutions always deliver maximum value.

Requirements

MS or Ph.D. or equivalent experience in Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Optics, Material Science, or related field
Experience in semiconductor fabrication or equivalent educational experience
Strong knowledge of semiconductor process flows and defect types
Experience in system-level troubleshooting, diagnostics, and reporting
Cleanroom experience and semiconductor device characterization
Familiarity with computer operating systems, networking, and analysis tools
Master's Level Degree and 0 years related work experience; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 2 years

Nice To Haves

Strong customer focus and ability to build collaborative relationships
Experience with lasers and optics
Motivation to innovate and proactively deliver exceptional customer outcomes
Proven technical leadership and problem-solving skills
Excellent communication, teamwork, and project management skills
Ability to present technical content to diverse audiences
Data analysis tools (Excel, JMP, Minitab, Igor, Origin, ImageJ, etc.)
Programming (Matlab, LabVIEW, Python, etc.)

Responsibilities

Support, maintain, and troubleshoot SFS tools in customer environments
Diagnose tool issues, identify corrective actions, and ensure optimal tool performance
Work closely with service and engineering teams to resolve hardware/software issues
Develop applications and Best Known Methods (BKMs) to solve complex customer challenges and improve tool capability
Create use cases, scope new features, identify issues, and drive bug fixes
Maintain strategic customer relationships and assist sales teams with technical assessments
Develop and document training materials, and provide technical training
Collaborate with customers and internal teams to define requirements for future products