2027 Spring Particle Science (Defect) Co-op - Master's or Doctorate (Gloucester, MA)

Applied Materials’ Implant New Product Introduction Department is searching for a co-op to join our Particle Science team for Spring/Fall 2027! Our team develops particle defectivity learning, source identification methods, and mitigation strategies for advanced ion implantation systems used in leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing. This role will provide hands-on experience connecting materials science, surface analysis, wafer inspection, data analysis, and process engineering to solve real contamination-control problems. The position will entail the following:

• Support particle science investigations for ion implantation systems, including particle source tracking, wafer defect review, and correlation of defects to process conditions, tool hardware, and materials interactions.

• Support focused experiments and demonstrations through test planning, wafer processing, inspection/metrology, sample handling, and documentation.

• Analyze wafer inspection, metrology, and characterization data to identify trends, compare process conditions, and summarize findings for technical stakeholders.

• Integrate experimental observations with computational modeling to develop mechanistic insights into ion beam–material interactions and guide follow-up investigations.

• Lead a small development project focused on particle reduction, particle characterization, wafer metrology, contamination control, or process/materials learning.

• Collaborate with process, hardware, metrology, and lab teams, and communicate results, key findings, and recommended next steps through concise technical summaries, charts, and presentations.

Start date: Spring (Jan 2027) or Fall 2027 for 6–9 months on-site at our Gloucester, MA location

Requirements

• Student must be pursuing a Master’s or Ph.D. degree program in Materials Science & Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or a related field.

• Student must be in good academic standing at their university, with a preferred GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.

• Strong interest in semiconductor processing, particle contamination, defectivity reduction, materials characterization, or process development.

• Experience with wafer inspection, optical/SEM review, metrology, surface analysis, cleanroom processing, or laboratory experimentation preferred.

• Experience with data analysis or programming tools such as Python, MATLAB, JMP, Excel, or similar software preferred.

• Familiarity with one or more computational methods—molecular dynamics, density functional theory (DFT), or machine learning—and relevant modeling or coding workflows preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly, work safely in a laboratory environment, document work clearly, and communicate technical results.

## Qualifications

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### Shift:

10-Day 8-Hr (United States of America)

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### Travel:

Yes, 10% of the Time

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### Relocation Eligible:

Yes

### Referral Payment Plan:

None

Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.