Senior Packaging Failure Analysis Engineer

Key Responsibilities

- Lead structured failure analysis and root-cause investigations across silicon photonics, MEMS, optical packaging, bonded assemblies, and PCBAs.

- Perform and interpret cross-sections of bonded structures and material interfaces, identifying defects, intermetallic formation, diffusion, cracking, voiding, contamination, delamination, and other failure mechanisms.

- Develop FA workflows using the appropriate progression of non-destructive and destructive analytical techniques, including optical microscopy, X-ray/CT, SAM, IR imaging, cross-sectioning, FIB, SEM/EDS, XPS, XRD, and related methods.

- Apply a strong understanding of materials science, phase diagrams, interfacial reactions, and failure mechanisms to interpret analytical results—for example, identifying phase formation within Au-Si or other bonded interfaces.

- Understand the capabilities, limitations, detection depths, spatial resolution, and appropriate application of different analytical and metrology techniques and select the best method for each investigation.

- Analyze fusion and eutectic bonded interfaces, including Si-Si, Si-glass, Au-Sn, and Au-Si systems, for unbonded regions, particle-induced voids, cracking, weak-bond propagation, and other interfacial defects.

- Investigate photonics fiber/FAU attach and adhesive failures, including coupling-loss shifts, alignment drift, delamination, voiding, cure shrinkage, creep, photodarkening, and outgassing.

- Support epoxy/material selection and characterization, including CTE, modulus, Tg, refractive index, ionic content, and cure kinetics, using techniques such as DSC and FTIR.

- Investigate solder and PCBA failures, including voiding, non-wet opens, head-in-pillow, pad cratering, IMC growth, fatigue cracking, warpage, and reflow-related defects.

- Support hermeticity and MEMS failure investigations, including leak testing, moisture ingress, contamination, stiction, cavity pressure shifts, and outgassing-driven drift.

- Perform or coordinate mechanical characterization including die shear, fiber pull, bond-strength/toughness testing, chisel testing, and four-point bending.

- Maintain disciplined FA documentation and a failure database, drive 8D/root-cause and corrective-action closure, and communicate findings clearly to engineering and manufacturing teams.

- Feed FA learnings into DFM/DFR, design improvements, process development, and OSAT/module partner corrective actions.

- Support product qualification and reliability investigations against relevant JEDEC, Telcordia GR-468, and MIL-STD-883 requirements.

- Help define and potentially establish in-house FA laboratory capabilities, including equipment selection, sample-preparation workflows, polishing/cross-sectioning, SEM/EDS, and laboratory best practices.

Required Skills

- BS, MS, or PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline.

- 8+ years of hands-on experience in failure analysis, materials characterization, or physical analysis within semiconductors, advanced packaging, photonics, MEMS, microelectronics, or a related field.

- Demonstrated expertise in cross-sectioning and analysis of bonded interfaces.

- Strong knowledge of materials behavior, phase diagrams, intermetallics, interfaces, adhesion, fracture, and material interactions.

- Hands-on experience with several analytical techniques such as SEM/EDS, FIB, XPS, XRD, optical microscopy, X-ray/CT, SAM, FTIR, and DSC.

- Ability to select the appropriate analytical technique based on the failure mechanism being investigated and understand the strengths and limitations of each method.

- Experience investigating packaging or assembly failure mechanisms involving adhesives, solder joints, wafer/die bonding, eutectic bonding, optical attach, or hermetic packages.

- Strong root-cause problem-solving skills with an inquisitive, hypothesis-driven, and structured approach to failure analysis.

- Ability to translate complex analytical findings into clear conclusions and actionable engineering recommendations.

Preferred Skills

- Experience establishing, expanding, or operating an internal failure-analysis laboratory is highly desirable.

- Experience with silicon photonics, MEMS, optical packaging, or advanced semiconductor packaging is a plus.

Starting salary and title will depend on, and be commensurate with, relevant experience, skills, training, education, market demands, and the ultimate job duties and requirements.