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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Failure Analysis Engineer

💰 $95,000 - $160,000

EngineeringQuality AssuranceHardwareManufacturingSemiconductor

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a highly analytical and detail-oriented Failure Analysis Engineer to join our dynamic Quality and Reliability team. In this critical role, you will be the lead detective for product failures, meticulously investigating issues from customer returns, manufacturing lines, and reliability testing. You will employ a wide range of advanced analytical techniques and tools to pinpoint the fundamental root cause of failures. Your findings will be crucial in driving corrective actions and providing essential feedback to our Design, Process, and Manufacturing teams to build more robust and reliable products. If you are passionate about problem-solving and have a knack for uncovering the 'why' behind a failure, we want to hear from you.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Materials Scientist / Engineer
  • Process Engineer
  • Quality Engineer
  • Test Engineer

Advancement To:

  • Senior / Principal Failure Analysis Engineer
  • Reliability Engineering Manager
  • Quality Engineering Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Reliability Engineer
  • Product Quality Engineer
  • Hardware Design Validation Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Perform comprehensive, hands-on failure analysis on complex electro-mechanical systems, components, and materials to determine the precise root cause of failure.
  • Operate and maintain a suite of advanced failure analysis laboratory equipment, including Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), Focused Ion Beam (FIB), X-ray imaging (2D/3D), and optical microscopy.
  • Conduct non-destructive and destructive physical analysis, such as cross-sectioning, de-processing, chemical etching, and material characterization.
  • Execute electrical fault isolation techniques using methods like curve tracing, time-domain reflectometry (TDR), thermal imaging, and emission microscopy (EMMI).
  • Develop and refine novel failure analysis techniques and methodologies to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and depth of investigations.
  • Author clear, concise, and comprehensive failure analysis reports that detail findings, present evidence, and provide a definitive conclusion on the root cause.
  • Collaborate closely with design, reliability, process, and manufacturing engineers to communicate findings and drive effective corrective and preventative actions.
  • Manage and prioritize a queue of failure analysis requests originating from reliability testing, new product introduction (NPI), factory yield excursions, and customer field returns.
  • Present complex technical findings and failure mechanisms to cross-functional teams and senior management in an understandable and actionable manner.
  • Maintain the failure analysis lab, ensuring all equipment is calibrated, operational, and follows safety protocols.
  • Statistically analyze failure data to identify trends, patterns, and systemic issues that may indicate a larger quality or reliability problem.
  • Drive failure replication by simulating field conditions or specific stresses in a laboratory environment to confirm the failure mode and mechanism.
  • Provide expert feedback on design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for reliability (DFR) based on learned failure modes.
  • Support supplier quality teams by performing analysis on failed components from external vendors and participating in supplier audits.
  • Develop and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for various failure analysis processes and equipment.
  • Act as the subject matter expert on material properties, component construction, and potential failure mechanisms for our products.
  • Perform tear-downs of competitor products to benchmark construction, materials, and potential vulnerabilities.
  • Train and mentor junior engineers and technicians on failure analysis techniques and proper laboratory practices.
  • Interface directly with customer-facing teams to understand the context of field failures and ensure customer issues are adequately addressed.
  • Lead 8D, 5-Why, or similar structured problem-solving methodologies to systematically guide the root cause analysis and corrective action process.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Microscopy: Hands-on expertise with SEM/EDX, FIB, and high-resolution optical microscopy for physical characterization.
  • Fault Isolation: Proficiency in electrical fault isolation techniques (e.g., curve tracing, LCR metering, TDR, thermal imaging/lock-in thermography).
  • Physical Analysis: Experience with destructive analysis techniques, including mechanical cross-sectioning, polishing, and chemical de-capsulation/de-layering.
  • Material Science: Strong foundational knowledge of materials science, including metals, polymers, ceramics, and semiconductor physics.
  • Data Analysis: Ability to use statistical tools (JMP, Minitab) or scripting languages (Python, MATLAB) for analyzing large datasets and identifying trends.
  • Imaging Techniques: Familiarity with non-destructive imaging such as X-ray, CT scanning, and Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM).
  • Technical Reporting: Demonstrated ability to write clear, detailed, and evidence-based technical reports for diverse audiences.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical Problem-Solving: A systematic and logical approach to solving complex, multi-faceted problems under pressure.
  • Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-experts.
  • Attention to Detail: Meticulous and thorough in all aspects of investigation and documentation.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with diverse teams, including engineering, manufacturing, and management.
  • Curiosity & Initiative: A natural curiosity to understand how things work and a proactive drive to find answers independently.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a relevant technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree (M.S.) or Doctorate (Ph.D.).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Materials Science & Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physics
  • Chemical Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3-7+ years of direct experience in a failure analysis, materials, or reliability engineering role.

Preferred:

  • Experience in the semiconductor, consumer electronics, automotive, or aerospace industry is highly desirable.
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