Semiconductor R&D Engineer

At PDF Solutions, we are at the forefront of revolutionizing the semiconductor industry. Our cutting-edge technologies and data-driven solutions empower semiconductor manufacturers to achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency, quality, and innovation. By joining our team, you'll have the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the industry, tackle complex challenges, and contribute to groundbreaking advancements that shape the future of technology. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, PDF Solutions also operates worldwide in Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

We are seeking an R&D engineer with a strong experimental-science background to advance eProbe semiconductor inspection tools through hands-on characterization, data analysis, and algorithm development. This is not an IT, infrastructure, or enterprise systems role. Work is hands-on in the lab and analytical at the desk: scopes and tool logs one day, coding and algorithm design the next. You will collaborate with hardware, FPGA/firmware, software, and applications engineers, and present clear recommendations grounded in data and physical reasoning.

The ideal candidate has a Ph.D. (or equivalent research depth) in Physics, Applied Physics, or Materials Science, enjoys ambiguous R&D problems, designs clean experiments, and can drive an investigation from hypothesis through measured result to an implementable algorithm or process change.

• Design and execute experiments to characterize and improve semiconductor inspection tool performance
• Investigate complex measurement-system behavior using a first-principles / physical-reasoning approach
• Develop and prototype algorithms in Python based on experimental data and engineering models
• Analyze large technical datasets to quantify system behavior, uncertainty, and improvement opportunities
• Translate R&D findings into clear recommendations for product, process, or algorithm changes
• Document experimental methods and results for internal reuse and technical review
• Present findings to cross-functional teams; support customer-facing technical discussions as needed
• Partner with hardware, firmware, software, and applications engineering to validate ideas on real tools
• Contribute to continuous improvement of characterization methods, analysis workflows, and tool capabilities
• Help triage and root-cause challenging technical issues that require experimental and analytical depth

• PHD. in Physics, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or related field (strong research Master’s considered)
• Proven ability to design original experiments, analyze data, and draw defensible conclusions
• Strong intuition for measurement systems: noise, dynamics, stability, and systematic error
• Hands-on lab experience with precision instrumentation (oscilloscopes, cables, power)
• Python for scientific computing and data analysis (NumPy, Pandas, plotting stack)
• Ability to turn experimental data into models or algorithm prototypes
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Nice to Have

• Experience with electron microscopes (SEM, TEM) or other ebeam or semiconductor test equipment
• Semiconductor process or cleanroom exposure
• Signal or image processing for scientific / metrology data
• MATLAB, Spotfire, Exensio, or similar analysis tools
• Some exposure to HDL (Verilog, System Verilog, VHDL)