Sr. Reliability Engineer — SEM Systems

Job Title

Sr. Reliability Engineer — SEM Systems

Role Summary

Hands-on reliability engineering role focused on improving uptime, robustness, and manufacturability of scanning electron microscope (SEM) systems used for wafer inspection and review. The role partners with engineering, manufacturing, and suppliers to identify failure mechanisms, perform root-cause analysis, and implement corrective actions that increase system availability.

Experience Level

Senior-level. The posting requests 10+ years of experience developing, supporting, or improving semiconductor capital equipment.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include driving reliability across SEM products and qualifying components and systems for production.

• Improve reliability and uptime of SEM systems to achieve industry-leading availability.
• Evaluate designs, manufacturing processes, and acceptance tests to uncover potential failure modes.
• Develop and execute Design of Experiments (DOE) to validate component and system performance and durability.
• Define and run accelerated life, environmental, and stress tests (thermal, vibration, vacuum, contamination, high voltage).
• Establish reliability requirements and qualification plans for critical components, subsystems, and systems.
• Lead factory acceptance and qualification activities before product release.
• Investigate field and factory failures using statistical analysis, data-science techniques, and modeling tools.
• Drive corrective actions and continuous improvement based on root-cause findings and reliability data.
• Work with suppliers to qualify components and validate manufacturing readiness.
• Influence cross-functional teams to implement solutions that improve long-term product robustness.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; nice-to-have items noted separately.

• Extensive experience with SEM or similar precision systems (optical microscopy, lithography systems).
• Deep knowledge of electron optics, precision mechanical systems, high-vacuum systems, and high-voltage systems.
• Familiarity with cleanroom/contamination control, wafer handling/positioning, motion control, and automation.
• Proven experience developing and executing qualification plans and reliability testing for electromechanical systems.
• Strong background in failure analysis and root-cause investigation; proficient with statistical and data analysis methods.
• Experience working directly with suppliers on component qualification and manufacturing readiness.
• Ability to influence technical decisions across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supplier organizations.
• Willingness to travel internationally up to approximately 15%.
• Nice-to-have: knowledge of SEMI standards and ISO quality systems.

Education Requirements

Advanced degree preferred in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Reliability Engineering, or a related technical field. Minimum qualifications stated as: Doctorate + 5 years work experience; Master’s + 8 years; Bachelor’s + 12 years (experience-based equivalency is presented in the posting).

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.