Senior Staff Optical Engineer

About the role

KLA's Broadband Plasma (BBP) division develops optical inspection systems used by logic, foundry and memory customers to detect critical defects at advanced nodes. This Senior Staff Optical Engineer joins a team of optical engineers to develop innovative wafer inspection products, owning the complete design process of one or more optical subsystems that support the BBP roadmap.

Key responsibilities

• Own and investigate optical architecture and design options, weighing performance metrics against cost and schedule.
• Collaborate with external suppliers and internal teams such as technology and system engineering to gather optical performance dependencies.
• Translate system requirements into optical, mechanical and metrology requirements.
• Develop and implement optical metrology and alignment concepts to reach target optical performance.
• Follow KLA design processes, including design reviews, part procurement, testing, integration and release.
• Solve problems arising in prototype or released inspection systems.

Required profile

• Preferred: solid background in optics, physics or a related field (imaging aberrations, Fourier optics, polarization, radiometry).
• Hands-on experience in lens design, especially diffraction-limited large numerical aperture microscope objectives.
• Experience developing optical system performance requirements, alignment, error budgets and metrology for high-precision systems.
• Preferred: prior experience in semiconductor inspection or lithography equipment; DUV or VUV optics experience desirable.
• Minimum qualification: doctorate with 5 years of related experience, master's with 8 years, or bachelor's with 12 years.
• Self-starter, detail-oriented, good communicator, willing to share knowledge with junior engineers.

Required skills

• Expert use of Code V or Zemax
• Proficiency with MATLAB or Python

What we offer

• Base pay range of $167,300 to $245,367 annually
• Performance incentive programs and benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) with company match, ESPP, tuition reimbursement, EAP, paid time off and family care leave