Senior System Engineer

Senior Software & Systems Engineer - Semiconductor Diagnostics San Jose, CA | Full-time | $130,000 – $175,000

ABOUT THE ROLE

My client is a specialist engineering company in San Jose that builds multi-million-dollar diagnostic instruments used by leading semiconductor manufacturers. Their tools combine laser scanning microscopy, photon emission analysis, and CAD navigation to identify defects at the transistor level - accelerating silicon debug and improving yield. This is not a typical software role. You will write real-time control systems that synchronise lasers, precision motion stages, and high-bandwidth electronics, while building the visualisation tools that failure analysis engineers rely on to find faults and validate designs. If you have a background in scientific instrumentation software and a deep understanding of semiconductor physics, this is one of the most technically challenging and impactful roles available in the Bay Area right now.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Develop and maintain software controlling high-precision optical and electronic instrumentation for semiconductor failure analysis Design control systems that interface with CAD databases (e.g. Synopsys Avalon) for real-time transistor-level targeting Build high-performance C#/WPF GUIs to visualise photon emission data, waveforms, and device maps Lead integration across motion control, laser timing, optical subsystems, and signal acquisition hardware Collaborate with hardware engineers and FA specialists to translate complex diagnostics into intuitive tools Troubleshoot system-level interactions and drive performance optimisation across the full stack Document architecture, workflows, and test plans

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or Semiconductor Device Engineering 5+ years developing control software for scientific or diagnostic instruments in the semiconductor industry Strong C++ and C# programming skills with WPF experience on Windows platforms Solid understanding of semiconductor device physics and failure mechanisms Experience with CAD navigation tools such as Synopsys Avalon

NICE TO HAVE

Hands‑on experience with TIVA, LIVA, LADA, OBIRCH, or photon emission techniques Background in laser microscopy or optics-based instrumentation Familiarity with hardware interfaces: USB, PCIe, FPGA, RS-232/485 Prior experience at companies in the semiconductor equipment space Real-time data processing and high-performance visualisation for complex datasets

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Base salary: $130,000 – $175,000 (dependent on experience) Medical (PPO & HMO), dental, vision, and life insurance - effective first of month after hire 401(k) plan and FSA - eligible after 90 days Discretionary quarterly bonus programme 16 days PTO per year #J-18808-Ljbffr TMS Technology