Failure Analysis Engineer

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Failure Analysis (FA) Engineer to join our team in China. This pivotal role will serve as the primary technical expert for analyzing customer returns of our semiconductor products. The successful candidate will be responsible for the initial investigation process, coordinating with external and internal laboratories, and ensuring seamless communication with our customer-facing teams. This is a hands-on role that requires a strong technical background in semiconductors, excellent problem-solving abilities, and outstanding coordination skills to drive customer issues to a swift and accurate resolution.

Key Responsibilities

• Initial Failure Triage: Manage the intake of customer-returned devices. Perform initial analysis, including thorough visual inspections and electrical bench testing (e.g., curve tracing, parametric analysis), to verify the reported failure.
• External Lab Coordination: Act as the technical liaison with our partner FA laboratories in China. Define the required analysis plan, including non-destructive (e.g., X-ray, CSAM) and destructive techniques, to root cause the failure. Manage timelines and ensure the quality of the external lab's work.
• Internal Communication & Reporting: Provide clear, concise, and regular updates on analysis progress to the internal Customer Quality team. Generate comprehensive interim and final FA reports detailing the findings.
• Global Collaboration: Collaborate effectively with our central Failure Analysis laboratory in Germany. For cases requiring more advanced investigation, you will present initial findings, provide all necessary context, and manage the logistics of shipping samples to Europe.
• Technical Support: Maintain meticulous records of all analyses. Serve as the subject-matter expert for failure modes and mechanisms observed in the region. Support the local engineering team with good parts analysis to get a better understanding and baseline of our device structures.

Expected Skills & Qualifications

Required Technical Skills:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related discipline.
• A minimum of 3-5 years of direct, hands-on experience in semiconductor failure analysis.
• Strong proficiency with electrical characterization equipment, including curve tracers, semiconductor parameter analyzers, power supplies, and oscilloscopes.
• Solid theoretical and practical understanding of semiconductor device physics, IC fabrication processes, and packaging technologies.
• Familiarity with the standard FA workflow and techniques, such as:
• Non-Destructive Analysis: Optical Microscopy, X-ray inspection, Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM).
• Destructive Analysis: Decapsulation (chemical and laser), cross-sectioning/polishing, die-level analysis.
• Any experience with advanced FA techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM/EDX), Focused Ion Beam (FIB), Photoemission Microscopy (EMMI), Optical Beam Induced Resistance Change (OBIRCH),...
• Ability to interpret electrical data and physical analysis results to form a cohesive conclusion about the root cause of failure.

Required Business & Soft Skills:

• Bilingual Communication: Full professional proficiency in both Mandarin Chinese and English (written and spoken) is essential for effective communication with local labs and global teams.
• Project Management: Proven ability to manage multiple analysis cases simultaneously, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Collaboration: A strong team player with the ability to work effectively across different functions (Quality, Engineering) and cultures.
• Customer Focus: A sense of urgency and commitment to resolving customer issues accurately and efficiently.
• Autonomy: A proactive, self-starting individual who can work independently with minimal supervision.
• Problem-Solving: Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills. Experience with structured problem-solving methodologies (e.g., 8D, 5-Why) is a significant advantage.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have):

• Experience in managing external vendors or partner laboratories.
• Knowledge of specific semiconductor products such as microcontrollers (MCUs), or analog ICs (sensors, drivers,...).