GC-MS Engineer III (E3)

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 worlds technology.

What We Offer

Salary:

$138000.00 - $190000.00

Location:

Santa ClaraCA

Youll 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 possiblewhile 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. Were 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.

As a Systems Engineer youll design integrate and optimize complex systems that drive the semiconductor industry forward. Your expertise in systems thinking and problem-solving is essential as you collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop advanced solutions to intricate processes and writing system specifications. Youll be responsible for analyzing requirements defining system architectures conducting thorough testing and ensuring seamless integration of subsystems. Additionally youll identify and mitigate risks confirming that our systems meet the highest quality standards and exceed customer expectations.

SUMMARY

We are seeking an experienced GC-MS Engineer to support cleanliness qualification and optics lifetime initiatives for semiconductor capital equipment. This role independently operates GC-MS (and related outgassing analysis techniques) to identify and quantify molecular contamination hydrocarbons siloxanes phthalates and other outgassing species that degrade optics performance cause haze/damage or compromise tool cleanliness specifications. The ideal candidate works autonomously to design test protocols execute experiments on materials and subsystems analyze chromatograms interpret complex spectral data and drive root-cause investigations with cross-functional engineering teams. The candidate must be capable of owning testing programs end-to-end with minimal oversight.

Role RESPONSIBILITIES

Instrument Operation & Method Ownership

Independently operate GC-MS systems including headspace GC-MS and thermal desorption GC-MS (TD-GC-MS) for material outgassing and cleanliness analysis

Own instrument qualification calibration tuning and preventive maintenance schedules without requiring supervisory sign-off

Diagnose and resolve instrument issues (sensitivity drift column degradation contamination carryover tuning failures) independently escalating only vendor-level hardware failures

Manage consumables standards and reference materials inventory for the lab

Test & Experiment Design

Design and execute outgassing test protocols for materials components and subassemblies (e.g. per ASTM E595 IPC-TM-650 or internal cleanliness specifications) used in tool chambers and near critical optics

Develop sampling strategies to correlate molecular contamination levels with optics degradation mechanisms (e.g. haze formation transmission loss coating damage)

Design accelerated aging/bake-out studies to predict long-term outgassing behavior and material qualification for new builds or vendor changes

Establish acceptance criteria and test matrices for incoming material and part and/or sub-assembly qualification in collaboration with optics and process engineering teams

Determine appropriate sample prep and desorption parameters (bake temperature dwell time purge/trap conditions) tailored to material type (polymers adhesives lubricants and metals)

Data Analysis & Root Cause Investigation

Interpret chromatograms and mass spectra to identify contaminant species (siloxanes phthalates hydrocarbons amines and other volatile/semi-volatile organic compounds) at trace/ultra-trace levels

Perform quantitative analysis against calibration standards and library-based qualitative identification (NIST/Wiley)

Lead root-cause investigations connecting GC-MS findings to field failures optics lifetime shortfalls or excursions in cleanliness monitoring

Correlate GC-MS data with complementary techniques (FTIR TOC SEM/EDX etc. ) as part of a broader contamination control toolkit

Track trends across builds lots or suppliers to flag emerging contamination risks proactively

Reporting & Cross-Functional Communication

Prepare clear engineering-grade reports and present findings to optics engineering process engineering supplier quality and program management

Translate analytical data into actionable material/process recommendations (e.g. material substitution bake-out process changes supplier corrective action)

Support Failure Analysis (FA) teams and Material Review Board (MRB) activities with data-driven input

Maintain rigorous documentation supporting internal specs supplier qualification packages and customer-facing cleanliness compliance requirements

Mentor junior lab staff or technicians on GC-MS operation and outgassing test methodology as needed

Compliance & Lab Operations

Ensure lab practices align with internal contamination control specifications and where applicable industry standards (SEMI standards ASTM outgassing methods)

Maintain data integrity traceability and audit-readiness for supplier and customer audits

Follow safety protocols for handling solvents calibration gases and hazardous materials

Minimum QUALIFICATIONS

BS with 3 years of experience or MS with 1 years of experience or PhD in Chemistry Material Sciences Chemical Engineering or related technical field.

37 years of hands-on GC-MS experience ideally including dynamic headspace thermal desorption GC-MS

Demonstrated experience designing outgassing or material cleanliness test protocols (ASTM E595 IPC-TM-650 or equivalent internal methods)

Proven ability to work independently designing experiments troubleshooting instrumentation standard quantification and routine calibration and driving investigations without close supervision

Strong working knowledge of molecular contamination sources relevant to precision optics (siloxanes plasticizers/phthalates hydrocarbons low-molecular-weight polymers)

Proficiency with GC-MS data software (MassHunter ChemStation Xcalibur or equivalent) and library searching (NIST/Wiley)

Excellent written/verbal communication for cross-functional engineering audiences

Preferred QUALIFICATIONS

Experience in semiconductor capital equipment precision optics aerospace or other industries with stringent outgassing/cleanliness requirements

Familiarity with SEMI standards related to contamination control (e.g. SEMI F21 F72 or facility/tool cleanliness specs)

Experience correlating molecular contamination data with optics performance metrics (haze transmission coating lifetime)

Working knowledge of complementary analytical techniques: SPME GC-MS FTIR TOC analysis Ion Chromatography particle counters surface contamination analysis (XPS XRF TOF-SIMS etc.)

Statistical analysis skills (Minitab JMP) or scripting (Python/R) for trend analysis and DOE

Experience supporting supplier qualification or new product introduction (NPI) programs

Core Competencies

Competency

Description

Technical Autonomy

Designs executes and troubleshoots testing programs with minimal oversight

Analytical Depth

Identifies trace-level contaminants and connects them to physical failure mechanisms

Systems Thinking

Understands how material chemistry links to optics degradation and tool-level cleanliness

Cross-Functional Influence

Drives engineering decisions through clear credible data presentation

Rigor & Documentation

Sustains audit-ready traceable data suitable for supplier/customer scrutiny

Working Environment

Cleanroom or controlled-environment lab setting

Occasional collaboration with optics process and supplier quality engineering teams across sites

May require handling of customer- or supplier-provided materials under confidentiality agreements

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 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.

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