KLA Tencor

Senior Algorithm Engineer

KLA Tencor$186K — $316K *
Technical Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • MS or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Computational Imaging, Machine Learning, or related field.
  • 10+ years of experience in algorithm development within a production environment.
  • Strong programming skills in Python, MATLAB, and C++.
  • Proven experience with machine learning, deep learning, or AI-based solutions.
  • Familiarity with physical algorithms for optical and X-ray electromagnetic simulations.
  • Solid background in numerical methods, statistical modeling, optimization, and data analysis.
  • Excellent problem-solving and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

  • Design and optimize advanced algorithms for semiconductor metrology and process control.
  • Develop machine learning and physics-informed models to enhance measurement accuracy and throughput.
  • Create scalable software solutions for algorithm development and deployment.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to innovate product capabilities.
  • Apply computational imaging and statistical analysis techniques to customer challenges.
  • Investigate AI technologies and develop proof-of-concept solutions.
  • Drive performance optimization through GPU acceleration and efficient software architectures.
  • Analyze large datasets to improve model performance and accelerate development.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
  • 401(K) with company matching.
  • Employee stock purchase program (ESPP).
  • Tuition reimbursement and student debt assistance.
  • Paid time off and holidays, including family care leave.
Full Job Description
Group/Division
With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLA's Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLA's metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. The Film and Scatterometry Technology (FaST) Division provides industry leading metrology solutions for worldwide semiconductor IC manufacturers. The FaST Division portfolio of metrology products includes hardware and software solutions for optical film thickness, optical critical dimension (CD), composition, and resistivity measurement systems. These products are essential for the IC manufacturers as they provide critical metrology capabilities for the development and implementation of their advanced IC processes. The FaST division is committed to support our customers to achieve performance entitlement of our solution and we effectively partner with our customers from their early research and development phase to the high volume in-line manufacturing implementation specific for their process needs. The division consists of a global team located in US, Israel, China, and India.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

KLA's Films and Scatterometry Technologies Division is seeking a highly skilled Senior Algorithm Engineer to develop next-generation computational, AI-driven, and physics-based algorithms for semiconductor process control and optical metrology applications. This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of machine learning, computational imaging, software engineering, and semiconductor manufacturing.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in algorithm development, strong software engineering skills, and a passion for solving complex technical challenges that directly impact the semiconductor industry's most advanced technology nodes.

Key Responsibilities

  • Design, develop, and optimize advanced algorithms for semiconductor metrology, inspection, and process control applications.
  • Develop machine learning, deep learning, and physics-informed models to improve measurement accuracy, throughput, and product performance.
  • Build scalable software solutions that support algorithm development, training, validation, and deployment in production environments.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including software, systems, optics, applications, and hardware engineers to deliver innovative product capabilities.
  • Apply computational imaging, computer vision, signal processing, and statistical analysis techniques to solve challenging customer problems.
  • Investigate emerging AI technologies and develop proof-of-concept solutions that support future product roadmaps.
  • Drive performance optimization using GPU acceleration, high-performance computing, and efficient software architectures.
  • Analyze large datasets to identify trends, improve model performance, and accelerate product development.
  • Contribute to technical leadership through design reviews, mentorship, and cross-functional collaboration.


Required Qualifications

  • MS or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Computational Imaging, Machine Learning, or a related field.
  • 10+ years of industry experience developing algorithms in a production environment.
  • Strong programming experience in Python, MATLAB and C++.
  • Experience developing machine learning, deep learning, or AI-based solutions.
  • Experience developing physical algorithms for optical and x-ray electromagnetic simulations.
  • Strong background in numerical methods, statistical modeling, optimization, and data analysis.
  • Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.


Preferred Qualifications

Experience with semiconductor metrology, inspection, lithography, or process control applications.
  • Expertise in:
    • Electromagnetic theory and simulations
    • Numerical simulations and optimization
    • Signal processing, probability, and statistics
    • Optical system modeling
    • Machine learning and deep learning
    • Computational electromagnetics
    • Image processing
    • Familiarity with surrogate modeling, neural operators, or AI-driven simulation acceleration methodologies.
    • Experience building production-grade software that integrates algorithms into customer-facing products.


What You'll Work On

In this exciting role, you will help develop breakthrough algorithmic technologies supporting the next generation of semiconductor process control systems. Projects may include AI-assisted metrology, advanced computational modeling, high-speed simulation acceleration, machine learning infrastructure, optical and image-based measurements, and next-generation automation initiatives. Certain international travel (
Minimum Qualifications

Doctorate (Academic) Degree and related work experience of 5 years; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 8 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 12 years

Base Pay Range: $186,200.00 - $316,500.00 Annually

Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA

KLA's total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

About KLA Tencor

KLA Corporation is a global capital equipment company that provides process control solutions for semiconductor and related industries. The Company's products are also used in a number of other high technology industries, including the packaging, light emitting diode (LED), power device and compound semiconductor markets. Its products and services are used by bare wafer, integrated circuit (IC), lithography reticle (reticle or mask) and disk manufacturers around the world. The Company's inspection and metrology products and related offerings are categorized in various groups, including Chip Manufacturing, Wafer Manufacturing, Reticle Manufacturing, LED, Power Device and Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing, Data Storage Media/Head Manufacturing, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Manufacturing, and General Purpose/Lab Applications.
Learn more about KLA Tencor
Size
11,300 employees
Market Cap
$52 billion
Industry
Net Income
$1.3 billion
Founded
1997
5 Year Trend
+21.5%
Revenue
$6 billion
NASDAQ

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