System Design Engineer

Job Title

System Design Engineer

Role Summary

Member of the Surfscan system design team responsible for system-level design and development of next-generation wafer surface inspection tools. The role converts market and customer requirements into viable system configurations, defines system error budgets, and leads prototype validation and tool integration toward product launch.

Experience Level

Mid-level (typical mid-career engineering role).

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include system-level design, validation, and customer support for inspection/metrology products:

• Translate market and customer requirements into system configurations and sub-module requirements.
• Develop novel inspection solutions to improve sensitivity and throughput and design experiments to validate concepts.
• Define system error budgets and ensure subsystem requirements meet system targets through coordination with functional teams.
• Create and execute prototype test plans for full systems and complex subsystems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional groups to support tool integration and product launch activities.
• Engage with customers and manufacturing to diagnose and resolve system issues on-site or in production.
• Support multiple engineering programs concurrently and manage technical tradeoffs.

Requirements

Core technical skills and professional abilities expected for success in this role.

• Must-have: Deep understanding of high-resolution optical design, high-speed sensor technologies, and advanced image/signal processing techniques.
• Must-have: Experience with statistical analysis and simulation methods relevant to system performance and sensitivity.
• Must-have: Ability to translate system requirements into submodule requirements and to validate designs with experiments and prototype testing.
• Must-have: Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams.
• Nice-to-have: Prior experience developing inspection or metrology tools and familiarity with semiconductor manufacturing processes.
• Nice-to-have: Project management skills (scoping, budgeting, scheduling).

Education Requirements

Minimum qualifications specify degree-plus-experience options: Doctorate (PhD) with 0 years related experience; Master’s degree with ~3 years related experience; Bachelor’s degree with ~5 years related experience.

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.