Quality Engineer, FIB/TEM Operations

About the role

Applied Materials’ SPG metrology group supports a wide range of business units (BUs) by delivering sample preparation, imaging, and measurement data. As the scope and volume of work continue to grow, maintaining consistent, high-quality output becomes increasingly important.

We are looking for a Quality Engineer to help build and drive a more structured approach to quality across the FIB/TEM lab. In this role, you will define quality standards for our metrology operations, establish and track key metrics, and lead root-cause resolution when issues arise. You will help build a closed-loop quality system and strengthen the feedback mechanisms that prevent repeat problems.

This is a system-focused, cross-functional role with broad influence across operations, engineering teams, and BU customers. Success comes from the ability to connect teams, bring clarity and structure where needed, and help the organization operate more consistently as it scales.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and maintain clear quality standards and acceptance criteria across the FIB/TEM metrology group, and ensure they are applied consistently across tools, operators, and shifts.

• Establish and track key quality metrics for FiB/TEM (such as rework rate, time-to-resolve, on-time delivery, and BU satisfaction), and use them to identify trends and drive improvements.

• Serve as the focal point for quality issues and escalations. Lead root-cause analysis, coordinate across teams, and ensure corrective and preventive actions are implemented and followed through.

• Work with BU customers and internal teams to clarify and align requirements upfront (e.g., ROI, cut direction, imaging expectations, deliverables), reducing ambiguity and preventing rework.

• Identify common failure patterns and drive improvements to processes, workflows, and documentation to address them at the system level.

• Develop and introduce practical quality checkpoints within FIB/TEM workflows to improve consistency without slowing down operations.

• Partner closely with engineers, technicians, and BU stakeholders to communicate findings, align expectations, and support continuous improvement across the group.

Qualifications:

Minimum qualifications

• B.S. or higher in related field

• 3+ years of experience in quality, metrology, characterization, failure analysis, or process engineering

• Working knowledge of a metrology or lab environment, with the ability to judge whether output meets requirements

• Strong problem-solving skills with a structured, data-driven approach

• Strong communication skills, able to work across teams, clarify unclear requirements, and drive alignment without direct authority

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with semiconductor metrology or electron microscopy (FIB, TEM, SEM)

• Familiarity with quality methods (e.g., SPC, measurement system analysis, DOE, or Six Sigma)

• Experience using data tools (e.g., Python, Power BI, Tableau) for analysis and reporting

• Exposure to automation, data modeling, or data-driven approaches to quality improvement

What we’re looking for

• Someone who looks beyond individual issues and focuses on preventing them from happening again

• Clear and practical communicator who can bridge gaps between customers, engineers, and operations teams

• Comfortable working in a cross-functional environment and influencing without formal authority

• Able to balance the need for speed (turn-around time) with the need for consistent, reliable data

• Organized and proactive, with the ability to take ownership of building and improving a function over time