Failure Analysis Engineer

HyperLight • Cambridge, MA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

HyperLight is at the forefront of the commercialization of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) integrated photonics - a material and process technology that is enabling high-performance, scalable optical components across AI/datacom infrastructure, hyperscale computing, quantum computing, sensing, and beyond. Founded in 2018 and backed by leading venture capital, we’ve built a team and a platform focused on real-world mass deployment of TFLN photonics technology. At the core of our work is the TFLN Chiplet™ platform - a modular, integrated architecture designed for scalability, manufacturability, and seamless integration into complex systems. It offers a rare combination of extraordinary performance and industrial readiness, enabling system developers across applications to deploy the technology fast and ready. We partner with our customers and suppliers from conceptualization, design, and prototyping phases, all the way through mass production to ensure smooth and rapid deployment of TFLN photonic technology. We believe our platform is the key, in the golden age of integrated photonics, to empower humanity to the next level. We assembled a world class team covering engineering, business, and operations. We believe in the power of integrity, innovation, collaboration, and pragmatic solutions. Our diverse team thrives on challenges and is united by a shared commitment to excellence. We take pride in tackling complex challenges with curiosity, humility, and a deep sense of care for one another. Failure Analysis currently consists of a small and impactful team. You’ll be trained directly by the FA lead and will grow into owning cases independently across the full workflow: intake, analysis planning, hands-on characterization, root cause determination, and reporting back to the Test, Platform, and Engineering teams. FA at HyperLight is investigative work. Each measurement is one piece of evidence, and the job is to assemble those pieces into a defensible picture of what actually happened – while resisting the pull of the first plausible story.

Requirements

• BS in materials science and engineering, chemistry, applied physics, physics, electrical engineering, or chemical engineering, plus 3+ years hands-on cleanroom and/or characterization experience; or MS in one of the above plus 1–2 years ; or PhD in one of the above (graduate research counts toward experience)
• Independent cleanroom experience. You have been qualified on and worked unsupervised with at least three of: photolithography and resist processing, plasma/RIE etch, wet etch, thin-film deposition (PVD/CVD/ALD), e-beam lithography. This includes the habits that go with it – contamination and particle control, strict SOP adherence, and legible, complete logbooks.
• Independent SEM operation , including imaging of insulating and PIC samples, plus EDS acquisition and interpretation.
• Experimental rigor. Demonstrated ability to design an analysis with appropriate controls, identify confounding variables, and keep observation separate from inference.
• Technical writing. You can produce a report that a non-specialist stakeholder can act on.
• Comfortable working with acids, bases, and solvents, and willing to complete site-specific safety training, including hydrofluoric acid handling.

Nice To Haves

• FIB for cross-sectioning, lift-out, and TEM lamella preparation.
• XPS data analysis – peak fitting, charge referencing/correction, chemical-state assignment.
• TEM, or experience scoping and managing outsourced TEM/analytical work.
• Raman, FTIR, AFM, ellipsometry, profilometry.
• E-beam lithography.
• Working knowledge of semiconductor and photonic failure mechanisms: galvanic corrosion, delamination, cracking, electromigration, ESD.
• Familiarity with JEDEC reliability methods (HAST, damp heat, thermal cycling).
• Lithium niobate, integrated photonics, MEMS, or III-V process experience.
• Statistical and spectral data analysis (JMP, Python).
• Experience presenting technical findings to teams whose processes the findings implicate.

Responsibilities

• Own FA cases end to end: define the question, plan the analysis, execute it, and write it up.
• Sequence analyses correctly on irreplaceable samples; non-destructive before destructive and know when a cross-section is worth spending the only sample you have.
• Run optical microscopy, SEM, and EDS day to day; FIB cross-sectioning and lift-out; AFM, profilometry, and ellipsometry as needed.
• Perform surface and chemical characterization — XPS, Raman, FTIR — and interpret the data, not just acquire it.
• Specify and manage outsourced analysis (e.g. TEM) with external labs.
• Support post-reliability FA on stressed parts (HAST, damp heat, thermal cycling) and on customer returns, working with the Test and Reliability engineers.
• Work in the cleanroom on FA sample preparation and on light fabrication for demo and process-feasibility devices: resist processing, photolithography, e-beam lithography, metallization, etching (wet, dry: ion milling and RIE).
• Write clear, evidence-anchored reports that hold up under cross-functional scrutiny, and present findings to stakeholders including Platform and Foundry.
• Maintain sample chain of custody, case records, and the FA findings database.

Benefits

• Competitive market-based compensation (Salary range $90,000 - $180,000 per year)
• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, vision, and dental plans for individuals and families
• 401(k) retirement plans with employee matching
• Paid Parental Leave
• Life and disability insurance
• Commuter benefits and subsidies
• Professional growth and mentorship opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level