Senior Systems Architect, Precision Stage V (E5)

Applied Materials•Santa Clara, CA

About The Position

The Senior Precision Stage Architect owns the end-to-end architecture of high-precision motion stages and their mechatronic subsystems, spanning mechanical structure, actuation, sensing, metrology, and motion control. The role sets technical direction for stage performance by translating positioning, dynamic, and throughput requirements into an integrated mechanical and control design, and serves as the senior technical authority guiding a multidisciplinary team. The architect defines complex precision-stage components, modules, and mechatronic subsystems; develops the control architecture and roadmap; and establishes error budgets and quantitative performance targets. The position integrates mechanical dynamics with servo control, feedback and metrology, real-time control hardware, and multi-axis motion profiles. It also evaluates architectures, leads technical problem-solving, builds or qualifies prototypes and supplier subsystems, and supports integration, manufacturing, service, and field personnel. The role contributes to system engineering specifications and ensures designs meet Market Requirement Specifications and applicable safety and reliability requirements. It may provide remote and onsite field support and requires travel approximately 10% of the time. The position is full-time and relocation eligible. The posted salary range is $163,000 to $224,000.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Controls.
10–15 or more years of experience.
Demonstrated knowledge of systems engineering, control theory, servo and feedback control design, and multi-axis motion control applied to high-precision motion stages and stage subsystems.
Hands-on mechatronic co-design experience, including system identification, dynamic modeling, control-loop tuning, feedforward design, and active vibration isolation or damping for nanometer-class positioning.
Familiarity with motion-control hardware and real-time control implementation, including motion controllers, FPGA/DSP-based real-time systems, drives, amplifiers, and position-feedback or metrology sensors.
Mechanical engineering experience selecting components, building, testing, troubleshooting, and releasing semiconductor or similar-scale capital equipment.
Knowledge of SEMI S2/S8/S14, NFPA 79, F47, CE, and EMI/EMC safety standards.
In-depth knowledge of 3D CAD and 2D CAD drawing tools, such as Siemens NX Unigraphics, Inventor, and AutoCAD.
Working knowledge of materials and components used in semiconductor wafer manufacturing equipment, materials characterization methods, and materials or systems failure analysis.
Experience supporting manufacturing and service organizations through training, documentation, and troubleshooting.
Proficiency with modeling, simulation, and data-analysis tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, Python, and Excel, or equivalent tools.
Strong time-management skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Strong communication and organizational skills, with a collaborative approach.
Energy and desire to thrive in a start-up-like environment.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree.
Managerial experience.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end architecture of high-precision motion stages and their mechanical, actuation, sensing, metrology, and motion-control subsystems.
Define and design precision-stage mechanical components, modules, and mechatronic subsystems as a co-designed mechanics-and-controls system.
Define the control-system architecture, including servo-loop topology, loop partitioning, feedforward strategy, sensor and actuator selection, and mechanical/control trade-offs.
Set the controls roadmap, error budgets, and quantitative performance targets for positioning accuracy, dynamic following error, settling time, and throughput; direct engineers working toward these targets.
Contribute to system engineering specifications within precision-stage and control expertise and across adjacent disciplines.
Develop dynamic models of stage mechanics and integrate them with control design, including active vibration isolation, disturbance rejection, and damping.
Specify and integrate position feedback and metrology sensors with real-time control hardware and the sensor-to-actuator signal chain.
Define, tune, and validate multi-axis servo loops, feedforward, and trajectory and motion profiles for production conditions.
Ensure designs meet Market Requirement Specifications and coordinate with project marketing and management to understand subsystem requirements.
Chair architecture brainstorming meetings and drive the systems process to select a final stage and control-system architecture, including the mechanical/control partition.
Conduct engineering analyses of control-loop stability and bandwidth, error budgets, modal and structural dynamics, and thermal and dynamic error sources.
Create and evaluate architectural concepts and recommend the best overall mechanical and control system solution.
Build and qualify prototypes or procure outsourced subsystems, then test them against detailed specifications, including control-performance requirements.
Identify and troubleshoot engineering problems such as servo instability, control-loop tuning issues, vibration, dynamic error sources, serviceability, and manufacturability.
Partner with electrical, firmware, and software teams on real-time control implementation, sampling and latency budgets, and controller-to-drive integration.
Support system integration during assembly and final testing of new product designs.
Perform and coordinate testing against internal and industry-accepted reliability specifications, making design or operational changes as needed.
Support system engineering projects spanning electrical, mechanical, physics, controls, algorithms, and software design.
Provide remote and onsite support to field-support personnel as required.
Technically lead and/or execute engineering projects, including development of key suppliers.
Drive completion of tool safety standards with third-party evaluators.
Prepare summary reports and present findings, data, and conclusions to technical experts and internal or external audiences.