Customer Engagement Applications Engineer (SPTS)

About the role

KLA, a global leader in electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, is hiring a Customer Engagement Applications Engineer for its SPTS wafer processing solutions (silicon etch, dielectric etch, dry-release etch, PVD, PECVD and MVD). The engineer works closely with customers, Service Engineers, Sales, Product Marketing and the Divisional Applications team to deliver strong process performance, speed up production ramp-up, solve complex technical challenges and improve customer satisfaction.

Key responsibilities

• Support process startup and qualification of new installations: lead Tier-2 process startup for new systems and technology transfers, develop and qualify customer process recipes, and support acceptance testing, qualification and buy-off milestones.
• Partner with Installation and Field Service teams so the transition from tool installation to volume manufacturing is smooth, and guide customers during ramp-up and production stabilization.
• Provide advanced process troubleshooting and root-cause analysis, own high-priority escalations, and act as a trusted technical advisor to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Develop process characterization, optimization and benchmarking, and generate technical documentation, application notes and best-practice guidelines.
• Capture test results, lessons learned and field best practices, share knowledge across field organizations and product divisions, mentor junior Applications Engineers and contribute to continuous improvement.

Required profile

• Master's degree in electrical engineering, materials science, physics, chemistry or a semiconductor-related discipline, with 1 year of related work experience; or a Bachelor's degree with 3 years of related experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with semiconductor manufacturing processes, preferably PVD, PECVD, etch or related thin-film technologies.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex process and equipment issues in a customer-facing environment.
• Willingness to travel and support customer sites as required.

Required skills

• Analytical, problem-solving and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, able to influence technical and business stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and customer commitments in a fast-paced environment.