Senior Software Engineer, Equipment Control

Axcelis Technologies•Beverly, MA

About The Position

Axcelis Technologies is seeking a Senior Software Equipment Control Engineer to join our software engineering organization and play a key role in defining the control architecture for our next-generation ion implanter platforms. This position is focused on the design, development, and optimization of deterministic, high reliability control software integrating complex electromechanical subsystems such as motion, robotics, vacuum, power delivery, gas handling, and safety systems. As semiconductor manufacturing systems increase in complexity and precision, control software has become a defining platform capability rather than an implementation detail. This team was formed to proactively evolve control software architecture ahead of those demands—addressing scalability, reliability, and testability challenges that traditional approaches struggle to meet. In this role, you will work at the intersection of real-time control, hardware integration, and modern software architecture, collaborating closely with hardware, systems, and process engineering teams. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence platform-level control strategies, system architectures, and testing methodologies that will power Axcelis tools for the next decade and beyond. Accordingly, the role addresses emerging system‑level constraints that require re‑thinking traditional control software approaches. While familiarity with existing control platforms is important, the primary focus is on defining forward‑looking capabilities rather than maintaining established implementations. This role is well‑suited for engineers who: Enjoy working close to real hardware and physical systems Prefer ambiguous, early‑stage architectural problems over well‑worn implementation paths Care deeply about correctness, safety, and long‑term maintainability Want their technical decisions to materially shape how complex machines behave in the real world

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in software engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
8–12+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent demonstrated impact developing control software for complex, high-precision industrial systems (Semiconductor capital equipment, Defense, Medical Devices, Aerospace, Automotive, or Industrial Automation).
Strong expertise in C# and .NET Core; proficiency in C/C++ and Python is highly desirable.
Deep hands-on experience with: Real-time and deterministic control systems, Multithreading, inter-process communication, and concurrency, Hardware/software integration (IO, PLCs, motion controllers, sensors, and actuators)
Proven experience debugging and commissioning complex electro-mechanical systems on real hardware.
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and system-level thinking skills.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively across disciplines.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of vacuum systems, robotics, high-voltage or high-power power supplies, and safety interlock systems.
Experience designing and deploying microservice-based control architectures in industrial environments.
Hands-on experience with automated SIL/HIL validation frameworks and fault-injection testing.
Familiarity with SEMI standards and factory host communication (SECS/GEM, E84, E87).
Experience working in Agile environments, including story definition, estimation, and release planning.
Demonstrated technical leadership and ability to influence architecture and long-term platform direction.

Responsibilities

Own the design and implementation of equipment control software for next-generation ion implanters, spanning: Low-level hardware interfaces (IO, PLCs, motion controllers), Real-time and deterministic control loops, Robotics, vacuum, power supplies, gas delivery, and safety interlocks, High-level sequencing, automation, and tool state management
Lead system integration efforts, combining early‑stage architectural exploration with production‑grade implementation across hardware, software, process, and systems engineering to define control strategies, interfaces, and performance objectives.
Design and implement robust control algorithms to support precise, repeatable, and safe tool operation under real-world factory conditions.
Design and evolve component-based and service-oriented architectures, leveraging microservices where appropriate to support scalability, testability, and long-term maintainability.
Define overall system and solution architectures, implementation strategies, and software integration approaches for complex equipment control platforms.
Leverage existing and legacy codebases to inform and accelerate new designs while ensuring functional continuity.
Drive rigorous verification and validation strategies using: Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), Simulation environments and real equipment testing
Design and automate end-to-end SIL/HIL test workflows, including CI-driven execution.
Implement fault injection and stress scenarios (e.g., voltage drops, sensor failures, communication loss) to validate system robustness and failure recovery behavior.
Perform deep root-cause analysis of hardware/software interactions and field issues.
Contribute to and enhance CI/CD pipelines using Git, GitHub Actions, and automated test frameworks such as xUnit.
Champion engineering best practices including code reviews, test automation, and continuous improvement in performance, reliability, and developer productivity.
Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership in architectural and design decision-making.
Collaborate closely with Product Owners, Architects, and Systems Engineering on: User story creation, Estimation, planning, and prioritization, Translating system-level requirements into high-quality software designs