Application Development Engineer

To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.

Group/Division

The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. KLA’s Optical Metrology Division (OMD) delivers advanced systems for optical overlay metrology, combining hardware and software to boost yield and efficiency. Known for industry-leading accuracy, reliability, and integration, these tools are trusted by major semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.

We are looking for an Application Development Engineer to join our R&D group.

In this role, you will:

• Design and optimize semiconductor metrology targets requiring knowledge of optics, materials, semiconductor processes, and integration.

• Validate new simulation capabilities and collaborate with software and system teams.
• Develop automation and analysis tools using Python and MATLAB.
• Lead technical discussions and deliver solutions to some of the world's most advanced semiconductor manufacturers.
• Deliver technical training, customer support, and simulation-based solutions.
• Contribute to next-generation technologies across Logic, Memory, and 3D NAND.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree (M.Sc.) in, Physics, Materials Science, Data Science,  or a related technical field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in the semiconductor industry.
• Strong data analysis and statistical analysis capabilities.
• Hands-on experience with data analysis tools, including:
  • MATLAB
  • Python
• Proven ability to analyze complex manufacturing, process, engineering, or system-performance data.
• Experience in identifying trends, root causes, and opportunities for process improvement through data-driven methodologies.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to present technical findings to cross-functional teams.
• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time to support customer engagements, field activities, project reviews, and cross-site collaboration.

About KLA

We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.

Use of AI Statement 

At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.

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.