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Process Engineer III – (E3)

Applied Materials

Santa Clara, CAFull-time$124–171K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$124–171K/yr
Location
Santa Clara, CA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

Applied Materials seeks a Process Engineer to develop next-generation thin-film deposition and surface-treatment processes for advanced logic interconnect. The engineer will own process development on 300 mm chambers, from feasibility through qualification, and collaborate with hardware engineering teams and R&D. The role includes experimental design, film characterization, troubleshooting, and communicating results to cross-functional teams.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

DOE DesignThin-Film DepositionPlasma ProcessingThin-Film MetrologyAnalytical TechniquesComplex Problem SolvingWritten CommunicationVerbal Communication

Qualifications

PhD or MS in Related FieldPhD 0-3 or MS 2-5 Years Industry Experience

Benefits

Relocation Assistance

Full job description

Who We Are

Applied Materials is the global leader in materials science and engineering solutions that are at the foundation of virtually every new semiconductor chip and advanced display in the world. The equipment that we create and service is essential to advancing AI and accelerating the commercialization of next-generation semiconductor chips. Join us and push the boundaries of materials science and engineering in a company at the foundation of the electronics industry. The work we do together advances the world’s technology.

What We Offer

Salary:

$124,000.00 - $171,000.00

Location:

Santa Clara,CA

You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. Visit our Careers website to learn more.

At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits (https://hrportal.ehr.com/applied/) .

As a Process Engineer, you'll play a crucial role in designing and optimizing manufacturing processes for display and semiconductor manufacturing technologies. You will collect and analyze data, perform hardware characterization, and troubleshoot engineering issues. You'll also measure film properties, generate technical documentation, and engage with customers to resolve concerns. Process Engineers collaborate with vendors and suppliers, and become familiar with implementing new technologies and products. You will experiment, learn, and collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the semiconductor and display industries, partnering with our globally recognized R&D teams on state-of-the-art research and development projects.

About the role

Join a process development team working on next-generation thin-film deposition and surface treatment for advanced logic interconnect. You will own process development on 300 mm chambers and work closely with hardware engineering teams to take new technology from feasibility to qualified process.

Role Responsibilities:

  • Own experiments end to end, from DOE design and wafer runs through metrology, analysis, and recommendations.

  • Develop and optimize deposition and plasma-based processes to meet film performance, integration, and reliability targets.

  • Characterize films using standard thin-film metrology and analytical techniques, and connect process conditions to film properties.

  • Partner with mechanical, electrical, and RF engineering teams on hardware requirements, test plans, and design reviews.

  • Support new hardware bring-up, qualification, and chamber troubleshooting using data-driven root-cause analysis.

  • Plan and run multiple experiment tracks in parallel to make efficient use of tool time.

  • Communicate results to cross-functional teams and management, and drive work with partner groups independently.

Minimum Qualifications:

  • PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with 0–3 years of industry experience; or MS with 2–5 years;

  • Demonstrates conceptual and practical expertise in complex problem solving

  • Hands-on experience in semiconductor thin-film deposition or plasma processing

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Additional Information

Time Type:

Full time

Employee Type:

Assignee / Regular

Travel:

Yes, 10% of the Time

Relocation Eligible:

Yes

The salary offered to a selected candidate will be based on multiple factors including location, hire grade, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and with consideration of internal equity of our current team members. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable.

For all sales roles, the posted salary range is the Target Total Cash (TTC) range for the role, which is the sum of base salary and target bonus amount at 100% goal achievement.

Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

In addition, Applied endeavors to make our careers site (https://www.appliedmaterials.com/us/en/careers.html) accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact us via e-mail at [email protected], or by calling our HR Direct Help Line at 877-612-7547, option 1, and following the prompts to speak to an HR Advisor. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

How this job compares

Set against the 3,285 open Process Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 5, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$124–171K/yr
  • California median$120–171K/yr345 salary ranges
  • US median$96–143K/yr1,677 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $148K, is close to the California median midpoint ($147K) — in the middle half of Process Engineer salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 426 open Process Engineer jobs in California and 3,285 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 3 years of experience; Process Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 4 years at the median (2,615 postings).
Education
2,114 of the 3,285 open Process Engineer jobs (64%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 5, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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