Senior RF Systems Engineer

About the role

Applied Materials is hiring a Senior RF Systems Engineer in Santa Clara, CA, to lead the architecture, development, integration and qualification of RF power delivery solutions for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The role translates process and customer requirements into RF subsystem designs that deliver plasma performance, reliability, manufacturability and cost competitiveness, working with CAE, mechanical, electrical and product support teams.

Key responsibilities

• Design, specify and integrate RF power delivery systems: RF generators, match networks, RF sensors and diagnostics, transmission lines, power distribution, grounding and shielding.
• Optimize plasma-RF performance: ignition, coupling efficiency, harmonic behavior, uniformity, defectivity and wafer-to-wafer matching, and support advanced RF control strategies.
• Act as RF technical lead on new product development, driving integration of power delivery, chamber hardware, ESCs, gas delivery, controls and software, and supporting prototype bring-up, qualification and customer demos.
• Use simulation tools for circuit analysis, EM modeling, power loss, impedance matching and thermal/reliability assessments, correlating them with experiments.
• Improve reliability, serviceability, manufacturability and cost of ownership, run root cause investigations and support supplier qualification.
• Mentor junior engineers, present technical decisions to leadership and customers, and travel up to 10% of the time.

Required profile

• BS, MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, RF Engineering or a related discipline.
• 8+ years developing RF systems in semiconductor equipment, plasma processing, power electronics, communications, aerospace or related fields.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical programs and cross-functional teams.
• Preferred: semiconductor plasma processing experience, familiarity with RF frequencies used in semiconductor processing, and direct customer experience with foundries and memory manufacturers.

Required skills

• RF circuit design, electromagnetics, impedance matching and transmission line theory
• Hands-on troubleshooting and laboratory characterization
• Preferred: ADS, HFSS, CST Studio Suite, SPICE, MATLAB, Python, plasma diagnostics and measurement techniques

What we offer

• Salary of $161,000 to $221,000, with relocation eligibility and a full-time position.
• Bonus and stock award programs where applicable, plus a comprehensive benefits package.