Field Application Engineer - Japan

About Nearfield Instruments

Nearfield Instruments (NFI) is a fast‑growing scale‑up high‑tech company. We design, develop, integrate, market, and service advanced metrology machines for the semiconductor industry. Our tools enable the world’s leading chipmakers to increase production yield and improve device performance, contributing to smaller, faster, and more powerful electronic devices.

Founded in 2016, Nearfield brings together approximately 430 employees worldwide, combining deep scientific expertise with industrial execution. Our unique, high‑throughput Atomic Force Metrology platform addresses the most advanced metrology challenges in leading‑edge, high‑volume semiconductor manufacturing. As our customer base continues to expand, we are strengthening our application engineering capability in Japan.

About the Job

As a Metrology Application Engineer, you work at the interface between Nearfield’s technology, customers, and internal development teams. You support semiconductor manufacturers in meeting their most complex metrology challenges by demonstrating the capabilities of Nearfield’s AFM‑based systems, developing customer‑specific measurement solutions, and translating application requirements into product improvements.

In this highly customer‑facing role, you collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Field Service, and R&D teams, supporting both current customer needs and future technology roadmaps.

Key responsibilities

• Identify customer metrology needs through close interaction with customers, sales, and marketing colleagues.

• Demonstrate Nearfield Instruments systems by performing measurements on customer wafers and analyzing the resulting data.

• Present and report measurement results to customers, highlighting the unique capabilities and value of Nearfield’s metrology solutions.

• Develop and implement measurement recipes in customer fabs, working closely with customer engineers and operators.

• Execute qualification tests to ensure specifications are met and train customer engineers and operators on measurement methods.

• Collaborate with Development & Engineering and R&D teams to:

  • Develop new measurement modes and metrology solutions

  • Improve data processing algorithms

  • Enhance product performance and usability

• Provide structured feedback based on customer roadmaps, fab experience, and user needs to support product and application development.

Requirements

• You enjoy working in a customer‑facing engineering role in a deep‑tech, fast‑growing scale‑up environment.

• You are comfortable bridging technical depth with clear communication toward customers and internal teams.

• You collaborate easily across disciplines to arrive at the best metrology solutions for the customer.

• You are flexible and willing to occasionally work outside office hours to support shared demo and development tools.

• You take ownership, work independently, and contribute proactively to continuous improvement.

Your Background

• PhD or MSc in Physics, Mechatronics, Materials Science, or a related field.

• Experience developing or applying metrology tools in a manufacturing or R&D environment.

• Good understanding of semiconductor manufacturing processes.

• Experience with, or strong interest in, Atomic Force Microscopy; the ability to learn quickly is essential.

• Experience coding in MATLAB, Python, or similar languages for data analysis and visualization.

• Experience with algorithm development is a plus.

• Proficiency in Japanese and English