Systems Engineer

Nova • Fremont, CA

9d

About The Position

Nova Engineering Team seeks a Systems Engineer to work with Design Engineers, Product Managers, and Researchers on the ongoing development, integration, and characterization of metrology solutions across several product lines. The position is part of a team of Systems Engineers experienced in instrumentation for semiconductor production environments and offers the opportunity to contribute to a rapidly growing division.

The role spans the product life cycle, from the inception and validation of new ideas through product release and field testing. The engineer will work with current and next-generation XPS/XRF tools, maintain and operate experimental systems, and perform hands-on work in a cleanroom. The role involves using complex vacuum systems and high-end metrology equipment, integrating and testing product solutions, validating proposed concepts, and ensuring component and subsystem designs meet requirements. The engineer will own integration of new components or subsystems into products, characterize their behavior at full-product performance, and develop procedures and train Manufacturing, Service, and Applications teams on their system assembly and use.

Nova is a global provider of metrology solutions for process control in semiconductor manufacturing. It has approximately 1,200 employees, three R&D centers, and 27 field offices. Its work draws on physics, optics, chemistry, and algorithms to create hardware and software solutions for measuring advanced computer chips. Nova describes its culture as people-focused and innovative, with employees empowered to make an impact.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or master's degree in Physics.
• At least 5 years of experience in semiconductor or other large capital equipment markets.
• Broad experience in applied high-vacuum systems for electron-beam and X-ray-related technologies.
• Technical knowledge of systems using electron optics, electron columns, XPS, or SIMS.
• Ability to develop, run, and maintain experimental, prototype, and beta systems.
• Ability to design and incorporate metrology equipment, including cameras and detectors, and vacuum hardware.
• High proficiency in hands-on work in a cleanroom environment and ability to use complex vacuum systems and high-end metrology equipment.
• Ability to balance independent work, accountability, and ownership of complex problems with teamwork and collaboration.
• Commitment to high-quality work focused on customer needs and practical constraints such as timelines and budgets.
• Scientific thinking and a consistent, logical, analytical approach to problem solving, with good reasoning skills.
• Ability to design and execute high-precision measurements and process data accordingly.
• Good organizational, interpersonal, and time-management skills.
• Hands-on experience with hardware components, basic electronics modules, and diagnostic instrumentation.
• Willingness to participate in field activities for new product releases or challenging customer issues.
• Customer-management skills for building relationships with internal and external customers.

Nice To Haves

• System integration and characterization skills that combine critical thinking and scientific intuition.
• Conceptual understanding of particle detection and signal amplification in the 100 kHz range.
• Working knowledge of high-voltage components in the 5 kV range and familiarity with basic high-voltage best practices.
• Working knowledge of clean vacuum systems at 1e-7 torr and vacuum-related design.

Responsibilities

• Participate in development, integration, and characterization of metrology solutions across multiple product lines.
• Maintain, operate, and run experiments on current and next-generation XPS/XRF tools with minimum supervision.
• Integrate and test solutions for existing and next-generation products, validate proposed concepts, and initiate solution development and implementation.
• Participate in component and subsystem design and testing, ensuring designs comply with requirements.
• Own integration of new components or subsystems into products and characterize their behavior at full-product performance level.
• Develop procedures and train Manufacturing, Service, and Applications teams on new components or subsystems as they relate to complete-system assembly.
• Resolve system-level challenges throughout the product life cycle and technical problems in the development and maintenance of research hardware and equipment.
• Participate in field activities for new product releases or challenging customer issues.
• Design and execute high-precision measurements and process the resulting data.

What This Job Offers

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