Cleaning, Contamination Control & Validation Engineer (E4)

About the role

Applied Materials is hiring a Cleaning, Contamination Control & Validation Engineer (E4) in Santa Clara, CA. This is a Quality team role that partners with the Engineering organization to develop cleaning and contamination control methods, introduce new contamination detection methods and tools, handle defect troubleshooting and failure analysis, and resolve customer escalations. The engineer works across suppliers, manufacturing and field operations, developing contamination control solutions on part, module and system level.

Key responsibilities

• Develop cleaning methods and contamination control solutions for current and advanced node equipment, map contamination introduction points from supply chain through the field, and run FMEA risk assessments at each stage
• Define contamination categories, support qualification of cleaning processes, and maintain a live risk register
• Develop, evaluate and qualify new contamination detection and measurement methods and tools, and benchmark them against industry standards
• Serve as the Quality point of contact for contamination-related customer escalations, lead root cause analysis (8D, 5-Why, fishbone) and corrective/preventive actions
• Troubleshoot defects, design and run failure analysis DOEs, and develop best-known-method procedures
• Author Contamination Control Plans, Validation Master Plans, validation protocols and supplier contamination control specifications, ensuring compliance with SEMI, ISO and other regulatory standards
• Act as subject matter expert for contamination control and manage revalidation triggers

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or a related technical field
• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in a related semiconductor field, preferably semiconductor fabrication
• Experience with semiconductor fabrication environmental, health monitoring and testing methodologies
• Demonstrated experience authoring validation protocols and contamination control documentation
• Advanced degree (M.S. or MBA) preferred
• CQE, CQM or equivalent certification, and Six Sigma certification preferred

Required skills

• FMEA, risk management frameworks and control plans
• Clean room protocols, SEMI standards and ISO requirements
• Contamination science, detection, inspection and measurement methods
• Technical documentation and cross-functional collaboration

The position is full-time, with travel of up to 25% of the time (domestic and international). Relocation is not eligible. The salary range is $133,500 - $183,500.