Principal Characterization-Failure Analysis Engineer - Milpitas, California, United States
$165,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 28 April 2026 by the employer.
About the role
The Principal Characterization-Failure Analysis Engineer is responsible for thermomechanical characterization of sub-assemblies and associated silicon dies, as well as carrying out failure analysis and debug activities on sub-assemblies. The role applies engineering expertise across mechanical, thermal, packaging, and package-processing disciplines in support of silicon photonics hardware.
What you'll do
- Diagnose failures and determine root cause using tools such as fishbone diagrams, hypothesis tables, and the 8D approach. - Perform failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) across packaging and assembly processes. - Process and analyze experimental data using tools including Python, MATLAB, and JMP. - Characterize sub-assemblies using mechanical vibration testing, thermography, and mechanical load testers. - Evaluate back-end semiconductor assembly processes, testing methodologies, and equipment, including die attach, wire-bonding, flip chip, underfill, optical coupling, and automated optical inspection (AOI). - Provide technical leadership to debug complex failure analysis issues across opto-mechanical assemblies.
What you'll need
- Master’s degree or higher in an applicable engineering discipline, such as Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or Applied Physics. - 10+ years of experience applying engineering principles to debug complex failure analysis in opto-mechanical assembly process problems. - Hands-on experience with root cause analysis methodologies (8D, fishbone diagrams, hypothesis tables) and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). - Proficiency with data processing tools such as Python, MATLAB, or JMP. - Experience with characterization methods including mechanical vibrations, thermography, and mechanical load testers. - Technical background in semiconductor packaging, inspection equipment, and materials (die attach, wire bonding, flip chip, underfill, and AOI).
Nice to have
- Peripheral experience in photonics and electrical engineering. - Experience with optical coupling in photonics sub-assemblies.
Skills: failure analysis, characterization, reliability, silicon photonics, quantum computing
This role has been open 179 days — well above the 51-day median for Failure Analysis Engineering roles.
Failure Analysis Engineering · Failure Analysis
|
Open roles in category
204
|
Median days open
51 d
|
Median salary
$107k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | PsiQuantum | All employers we track in this specialty (204 roles · 40 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 2 | 204 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 10 | 10039 · 106 employers |
| Median days open | 134 d | 51 d (+83 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $107k |
Skills observed across this category: failure analysis, characterization, reliability, silicon photonics, quantum computing
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 43 open roles · median 52 d
- GlobalFoundries · 16 open roles · median 33 d
- Lam Research · 16 open roles · median 32 d
- Infineon Technologies · 13 open roles · median 32 d
- AMD · 9 open roles · median 93 d
- Intel Corporation · 9 open roles · median 71 d
How we counted: 204 open Failure Analysis Engineering (Failure Analysis) roles from 40 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 25 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family row. Figures refresh nightly.