Principal Process Engineer, Etch

About the role

KLA's Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit, including its SPTS division, supplies inspection, metrology and analytics systems to chip manufacturers, and develops technologies for specialty processes such as etch and deposition. As Principal Process Engineer, Etch, you will lead the development, optimisation and control of advanced etch processes, drive innovation and resolve complex technical challenges. The role includes a simulation and modelling element, working with multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Key responsibilities

• Lead development and qualification of advanced plasma process technologies and drive process optimisation to meet customer specifications.
• Develop and validate simulation models, perform CFD, plasma, thermal, electromagnetic or multi-physics modelling, and correlate results with experimental data.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for reliability issues and establish process control strategies and SPC frameworks.
• Mentor engineers, define best practices and interface with customers for demos, qualifications and issue resolution.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, NPI and manufacturing teams, and liaise with field teams to transfer processes to the field.
• Lead key PLC etch projects, deliver on etch roadmap targets, research published work, write invention disclosures and patent applications, and publish technical papers.

Required profile

• Ideally a Master's degree or PhD in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics or a related field; PhD preferred or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on experience on plasma etch equipment and metrology such as SEM.
• Strong knowledge of DOE and statistical analysis, familiarity with failure analysis and defect characterisation.
• Data-driven, strategic thinker with excellent communication across technical and executive audiences.

Required skills

• Semiconductor equipment hardware and process interaction experience.
• Simulation and modelling tools such as COMSOL, ANSYS, MATLAB/Simulink, OpenFOAM or Python (advantageous).
• Plasma modelling, CFD or digital twins experience is advantageous.
• DOE, 8D and process optimisation experience; endpoint methods/OES experience.

What we offer

• Annual leave from 25 days plus bank holidays, share scheme, contributory pension, cash health plan, cycle to work scheme, global bonus plan, rewards scheme and life assurance.
• Occasional domestic and international travel, including to the United States, and occasional shift work may be required.