Senior Design Engineer

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 world’s technology. 

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We are seeking an experienced Senior FEA Modeling Engineer to join the Advanced Packaging Modeling team. The engineer will independently lead complex thermal-mechanical simulation projects that influence package architecture, material selection, process windows, qualification strategy, and reliability risk reduction. This role requires approximately five or more years of relevant industrial experience, strong technical judgment, and the ability to convert ambiguous cross-functional problems into validated modeling plans and actionable engineering recommendations.

·        Independently define, develop, validate, and deploy high-fidelity FEA models for advanced semiconductor package technologies.

·        Lead thermo-mechanical reliability modeling to predict package performance and failure risks under manufacturing, qualification, and operating conditions, including thermal cycling, process-induced stress, fatigue, creep, delamination, and interfacial failure.

·        Lead thermal-mechanical analyses of stress, strain, warpage, delamination risk, thermal cycling, creep, plasticity, viscoelasticity, and interfacial behavior across flip-chip, fan-out, 2.5D/3D IC, chiplet, TSV, HBM, and hybrid-bonded structures.

·        Develop thermal and coupled multi-physics models to guide package design, material tradeoffs, process integration, and cooling concepts.

·        Translate business and engineering questions into simulation requirements, model hierarchies, validation plans, and decision-ready outputs.

·        Plan and execute sensitivity analyses, design-of-experiment studies, optimization, and uncertainty assessments to identify robust design and process windows.

·        Correlate models with metrology, material characterization, reliability testing, and failure analysis; calibrate constitutive models and quantify predictive limitations.

·        Provide clear recommendations to design, process, reliability, manufacturing, and customer-facing teams, including risk statements and proposed validation actions.

·        Own simulation workflows and technical reviews for assigned projects, ensuring model quality, traceability, and timely delivery.

·        Mentor junior engineers, establish modeling best practices, and drive automation, standardization, and reuse across the team.

·        Support technology roadmaps and evaluate emerging materials, interconnects, processes, and package architectures from a thermo-mechanical reliability perspective.

·        M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Mechanics, Applied Physics, or a related field.

·        At least five years of relevant industrial experience in thermal-mechanical FEA, preferably in semiconductor packaging, electronics, or an adjacent high-reliability technology domain.

·        Demonstrated proficiency with ANSYS, Abaqus, COMSOL, or an equivalent commercial FEA platform, including nonlinear and temperature-dependent material modeling.

·        Strong knowledge of advanced packaging architectures and processes, including die attach, underfill, molding, bumping, bonding, reflow, wafer-level processes, and package assembly.

·        Practical understanding of polymers, metals, ceramics, interfaces, and their behavior under thermal and mechanical loading.

·        Proven ability to validate models, diagnose numerical and physical issues, and communicate recommendations to both technical and leadership audiences.

·        Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively across design, process integration, reliability, manufacturing, and external partner teams.

·        Experience with coupled electro-thermal-mechanical, fracture, cohesive-zone, creep, viscoelastic, process-induced stress, or submodeling methodologies.

·        Experience with HBM, hybrid bonding, FOWLP, chiplets, BSPDN, co-packaged optics, or other emerging integration technologies.

·        Familiarity with JEDEC qualification methods and using simulation to interpret or improve reliability test outcomes.

·        Advanced scripting and workflow automation using Python, MATLAB, APDL, TCL, or equivalent tools.

·        Experience with optimization, surrogate modeling, uncertainty quantification, or tools such as optiSLang.

Demonstrated technical leadership through mentoring, methodology ownership, patents, publications, customer engagement, or cross-functional project leadership.

Additional Information

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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.