Product Development Applications Engineer

Job Title

Product Development Applications Engineer

Role Summary

Work with customer teams at semiconductor fabs to investigate defect and yield issues, develop process control solutions, and support product introductions for KLA Klarity® defect and yield-analysis systems. The role combines on-site customer engagement, data analysis, and technical enablement to improve yield and accelerate customer problem resolution.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Minimum qualifications: Master's degree with 0 years related experience, or Bachelor's degree with 2 years related experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include on-site customer support, product introduction activities, and technical enablement.

• Conduct investigations at customer sites: gather and analyze defect and process data to identify root causes and corrective actions.
• Define problem statements, resolve customer issues, and document best known methods (BKMs) and training materials.
• Support new product introduction: definition, characterization, alpha/beta testing, and development of customer use cases.
• Provide pre-sales and post-sales application support to validate solutions and ensure successful deployment.
• Collaborate with customers and internal teams to publish papers or present findings at industry symposiums or technical journals.
• Travel to customer sites as required and communicate findings effectively to technical and operations teams.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience; preferred items listed as nice-to-have.

• Must-have: Practical experience in semiconductor process control or applications and familiarity with chip manufacturing, metrology-related error modes, and process excursions.
• Must-have: Strong analytical, organizational, and interpersonal skills; good oral and written English communication skills.
• Must-have: Ability to work on customer sites, adapt to new tasks, prioritize, and manage multiple responsibilities.
• Nice-to-have: Fab working experience and hands-on exposure to yield analysis workflows (defect analysis, wafer disposition, spatial signature analysis).
• Nice-to-have: Basic knowledge of KLA process control software (Klarity Defect, Klarity ACE) and related tools.
• Nice-to-have: Software development or scripting skills to assist in data analysis or automation tasks.

Education Requirements

Minimum: Masters degree (no specific field required) with 0 years related work experience, or Bachelors degree with 2 years related work experience. Degrees in engineering, physics, materials science, computer science, or other technical fields are typical for this role; equivalent practical experience will be considered.

About the Company

Company: KLA

Headquarters: Chennai, India

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company enables the production of electronic devices by inventing systems and solutions for manufacturing integrated circuits, wafers, and displays. With over 40 years of experience, KLA invests heavily in innovation and R&D to support advanced chip design and manufacturing process optimization, collaborating with top technology providers to deliver future electronic devices.