Job Summary & ResponsibilitiesOnto Innovation is seeking a
Staff Applications Scientist based in
Hillsboro, Oregon to support the OCD Time-to-Solution (TTS) reduction program. This role will lead
fab validation and customer-facing technical validation of new AI-assisted and automated OCD recipe-development capabilities. The position will work closely with Applications, Software, AI/ML, Engineering, and customer teams to validate solutions that reduce active Applications Engineer effort, while maintaining model quality, robustness, and customer acceptance.
Key Responsibilities- Establish and maintain baseline TTS measurements and a standardized recipe-validation framework for OCD applications.
- Validate AI-generated and automated OCD recipes against existing engineering methods and fab benchmarks.
- Lead technical validation of Logic applications, including Thin Film and GAA OCD use cases.
- Support customer and fab pilots, including validation activities for advanced Logic applications at key customer sites.
- Evaluate model accuracy, robustness, repeatability, and readiness before customer deployment.
- Lead applications validation for expansion into 2D DRAM and 3D NAND use cases.
- Support NAND and DRAM pilot activities and provide technical feedback to AI/ML and software development teams.
- Analyze gaps between generated recipes and fab results and translate findings into actionable model, workflow, and software improvements.
- Serve as the technical liaison between customer Applications teams and internal AI/ML, Software, and Engineering teams.
- Develop validation methodologies, test cases, acceptance criteria, and technical documentation for new TTS capabilities.
- Support final technical qualification and in-scope device/application sign-off for production deployment.
Qualifications- Ph.D. or Master's degree in Physics, Applied Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field; advanced degree preferred.
- Strong experience in semiconductor metrology, optical metrology, OCD, thin-film measurement, or related semiconductor process-control applications.
- Demonstrated experience developing, optimizing, validating, or supporting semiconductor metrology recipes and models.
- Strong understanding of semiconductor device structures and applications, preferably including Logic, GAA, DRAM, NAND, and/or advanced thin-film structures.
- Experience working with semiconductor fabs and collaborating directly with customer engineering or applications teams.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to evaluate model performance, identify technical gaps, and drive corrective actions.
- Ability to work effectively across Applications, Software, AI/ML, Engineering, and customer organizations in a cross-functional development environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document technical results and communicate recommendations to both technical teams and customers.
Compensation & Growth• Base Salary Range:
$129,600.00 - $194,400.00, offered in good faith and based on experience, location, and qualifications.
- Additional Rewards: Annual bonus opportunities and potential long-term incentives tied to both company and individual success.
