Physicist/Scientist- X-Ray Source Modeling

Applied Materials • Benicia, CA

6d • $120,000 - $165,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Applied Materials is the global leader in materials science and engineering solutions that are at the foundation of virtually every new semiconductor chip and advanced display in the world. The equipment that we create and service is essential to advancing AI and accelerating the commercialization of next-generation semiconductor chips. Join us and push the boundaries of materials science and engineering in a company at the foundation of the electronics industry. The work we do together advances the world’s technology.

Role summary
Own the physics modeling that sets the performance limits of our X-ray sources: electron optics from cathode to target, thermal behavior of components under high electrical power density, and X-ray generation and transport through to the detector. You will be the person the team trusts to say what a design will do before it is built, and to say how confident you are.

Requirements

• MS or PhD in physics, applied physics, EE, ME, nuclear engineering, or a related field, plus roughly 5+ years applying simulation to physical hardware.
• Demonstrated ownership of at least two of: charged particle optics, thermal and structural analysis materials under high thermal load, X-ray generation and optics.
• Fluency in finite element methods and their limits, plus working knowledge of at least one other relevant numerical approach: boundary element, particle-in-cell, Monte Carlo radiation transport, or ray tracing.
• Multiphysics tools (COMSOL, Opera, CST, ANSYS, Lorentz, FEniCS, or comparable), driven through their scripting interfaces rather than the GUI alone.
• Python, C, or C++ for pre- and post-processing, data reduction, and optimization loops.
• Version control as a default habit.
• A track record of comparing model to measurement, finding them in disagreement, and diagnosing why.

Nice To Haves

• Monte Carlo radiation transport (Geant4/TOPAS, PENELOPE, EGSnrc) for electron-target interaction, spectrum, and dose.
• X-ray optics simulation (SHADOW/OASYS, XRT, McXtrace, SRW) and dynamical diffraction calculation for crystal optics.
• Cathode and emission physics: dispenser cathodes, LaB₆ or CeB₆, field emission, lifetime and poisoning mechanisms.
• High-vacuum practice: outgassing, thermal management across brazed and welded joints, contact conductance, high-voltage holdoff and breakdown.
• Adjacent-field background: accelerator or beamline physics, electron microscopy, vacuum electronics (TWT, klystron, magnetron), medical or industrial X-ray tubes, e-beam lithography, semiconductor metrology.
• Design of experiments, numerical optimization, surrogate or reduced-order modeling.
• Comfort working from mechanical CAD, including defeaturing and model prep.

Responsibilities

• Simulate electron optics end to end: thermionic emission, space-charge-limited transport, focusing and aberration, deflection, and spot formation in realistic geometry with realistic applied fields.
• Build coupled electrothermal models of beam power deposition on targets, apertures, and grids: conjugate heat transfer, radiative exchange, transient and duty-cycled loading, thermally driven distortion, and the feedback of that distortion onto beam and spot performance.
• Model X-ray generation and transport: bremsstrahlung and characteristic emission yield from transmission and reflection targets, self-absorption in target and substrate, spectral shaping by filtration and windows, downstream optics, and detector response.
• Quantify and communicate uncertainty: convergence and mesh studies, sensitivity to material property data and geometric tolerance, and an explicit statement of what each model can and cannot predict.
• Design the experiments that test the models. Identify which measurable actually discriminates between competing hypotheses, then work with the lab to execute and interpret.
• Translate sensitivity results into design and manufacturing decisions: drawing tolerances, alignment budgets, process windows.
• Script and version simulation workflows so parametric studies are reproducible and re-runnable by someone else.
• Contribute to technical customer engagements
• Mentor junior physicists and engineers in modeling practice, including the habit of validating before believing.

Benefits

• Supportive work culture that encourages learning, development, and career growth.
• Opportunities to take on challenges and drive innovative solutions.
• Empowerment to push boundaries and learn every day in a supportive leading global company.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Potential eligibility for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program.

What This Job Offers

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