Laser Development Engineer

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world’s leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow’s electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.

With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLA's Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLA’s metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. The Surfscan group includes a team of engineers, technology development, apps engineers and product marketing focused on technology that enables wafer, IC and equipment manufacturers to develop, qualify and monitor their process tools. Defects and process non-uniformities detected on Surfscan equipment allow for early identification of yield excursions. The flagship Surfscan products include the SPx platforms for wafer surface quality and wafer defect inspection tools and systems for inspection of polished wafers, epi wafers and engineered substrates during the wafer fabrication process.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and develop laser from prototyping to product release

• Perform optical characterization and laser performance testing, including device interface control

• Verify the impact of deviations in key laser parameters on system stability

• Define design tolerance and specifications to ensure manufacturability and serviceability

• Participate in reliability testing for lasers and other critical optical components

• Prepare technical documentation and support the transition to manufacturing

• Collaborate with engineering teams to resolve system-level issues

• Liaise with suppliers for product development and qualification

Key Skills:

• Knowledge of laser physics and nonlinear optics

• Proficiency in both theoretical simulation and hands-on laser development

• Experience in solid state laser design, optical testing metrology and gauge repeatability and reproducibility

• Effective communication and collaboration skills

• Familiarity with optical system modeling and analysis

• Proficiency with industrial-standard software tools such as Python, Labview, MATLAB, Zemax, CodeV or TracePro  

• Strong technical documentation skills for engineering changes and product release

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate (Academic) Degree with at least 1 year of related work experience

• Master’s Degree with at least 3 years of related work experience

• Bachelor’s Degree with at least 5 years of related work experience

We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees.

KLA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer

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