Sr. Electrical Design Engineer (Firmware, DSP, Image Alignment)

To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.

Group/Division

The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. The Broadband Plasma (BBP) division is the market-leading optical inspection system used by logic, foundry, and memory customers to detect critical defects at advanced nodes. These tools combine broadband plasma technology with unmatched sensitivity and speed to support high-volume manufacturing.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.

We are looking for a Sr. Electrical Design Engineer to join our team in Milpitas! In this hands-on role, you will develop embedded firmware and algorithms for KLA's run-time alignment systems, connecting image-based measurements with precision motion control. You will help advance our alignment architecture, migrate and optimize algorithms across computing platforms, and deliver reliable solutions from concept through system qualification and field deployment.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and debug C/C++ firmware for real-time image alignment, signal processing, and feedback control on embedded Linux and DSP-based platforms.
• Migrate alignment algorithms from host processors to multicore DSPs; profile and optimize execution time, memory use, data movement, and synchronization while preserving numerical accuracy and real-time behavior.
• Develop and validate image-offset estimation, digital filtering, and confidence-based alignment methods that remain robust under low-contrast, repetitive-pattern, and other challenging imaging conditions.
• Partner with motion-control and algorithm engineers to integrate image-based measurements into stage feedback and trajectory correction; characterize accuracy, noise, latency, and control-loop behavior.
• Define and implement hardware/software interfaces across processors, FPGAs, image-acquisition electronics, and motion controllers, including data formats, buffering, interrupts, and communication timing.
• Bring up and integrate hardware and firmware using schematics, device datasheets, lab instruments, and embedded debugging tools; isolate system-level failures across hardware, firmware, and software.
• Own verification from simulation and bench testing through on-system qualification. Build automated regression tests, compare migrated algorithms with reference implementations, and document performance and robustness results.
• Support controlled firmware releases and field escalations through reproducible diagnostics, root-cause analysis, configuration/version traceability, and clear documentation for engineering, manufacturing, and service teams.

Required Qualifications

• Strong C/C++ programming skills in embedded environments, including debugging, concurrency, memory management, and performance optimization; proficiency in Python for test automation and data analysis.
• Hands-on experience with real-time embedded or DSP systems, including interrupts, task scheduling, interprocessor communication, shared memory, and synchronization.
• Solid understanding of digital signal processing and image processing, including filtering, image registration or alignment, offset estimation, and the effects of noise and ambiguous image features.
• Working knowledge of feedback-control fundamentals and the ability to assess how measurement quality, sampling, latency, and filtering affect closed-loop behavior.
• Experience developing and troubleshooting in Linux, including multithreaded applications, process scheduling, build/debug tools, and hardware/software communication.
• Ability to read schematics and device datasheets, debug register-level interfaces and data paths, and use oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, or embedded debuggers to resolve integration issues.
• Experience with version control such as Git or SVN, code reviews, automated testing, and disciplined firmware qualification and release practices.
• Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work across electrical, FPGA, software, algorithms, mechanical, and systems engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience porting and optimizing algorithms between x86 processors and multicore DSPs, including cache-aware design, DMA, and fixed-point/floating-point numerical considerations.
• Experience with semiconductor inspection, machine vision, precision positioning, or other high-speed imaging and motion-control systems.
• Experience with real-time Linux performance analysis, CPU affinity/isolation, scheduler tracing, and latency or jitter troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with BSPs, device drivers, embedded Linux build systems, networking, and peripheral interfaces such as PCIe, SPI, or I2C.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop simulation, reference-data replay, continuous integration, and FPGA-connected high-throughput data paths.

Minimum Qualifications

Doctorate (Academic) Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 6 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 8 years

About KLA

We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.

Total Rewards

Base Pay Range: $141,300.00 - $207,233.00 Annually
Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA

KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Use of AI Statement 

At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.

Equal Opportunity Statement

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.

For additional information, view the US Know Your Rights poster on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.