I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Lam Research (Fremont, CA) in Jan 2012
Interview
Initially they phone screen the candidates and then invite for on-site face to face interview. People that interview you include peers, managers and also second level managers. Will take you out for lunch. I had to make a presentation on my topic of interest - could be PhD thesis, or any other prior project.