Failure Analysis Engineer

Avicena Tech•Sunnyvale, CA

10h

About The Position

As a Failure Analysis Engineer at Avicena, you will be the technical detective behind our microLED and photodetector device programs — isolating, characterizing, and root-causing failures across devices, arrays, and integrated modules. Your findings will directly steer design, process, and reliability decisions for the LightBundle™ platform, closing the loop between what fails in the lab and how we build it better.

Requirements

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field (or BS with equivalent industry experience).
5–8+ years of failure analysis experience in semiconductor, optoelectronic, or photonic devices.
Demonstrated ability to drive structured root-cause investigations (8D, fishbone, fault-tree) to definitive physical conclusions.
Solid understanding of semiconductor and optoelectronic device physics and common failure/degradation mechanisms.
Proficiency in data analysis and scripting (e.g., Python, MATLAB) and strong technical communication.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with GaN-based microLED or LED/laser failure analysis is strongly preferred but not required.
Experience with FA on high-density emitter or detector arrays.
Familiarity with packaging, hybrid bonding, or heterogeneous-integration failure modes.
Experience supporting reliability qualification and correlating FA to stress-test results.
Background in optical/photonic module or interconnect FA.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end failure analysis of GaN microLEDs, photodetector arrays, and integrated interconnect modules, from failure isolation through physical root cause and corrective action.
Plan and perform electrical, optical, and physical FA including EL/PL imaging, SIMS, EMMI/photoemission, OBIRCH/thermal, curve tracing, and fault localization on single devices and dense arrays.
Direct and interpret cross-sectioning and imaging (FIB, SEM, TEM, EDX, CT/acoustic microscopy) to identify defects, material anomalies, and interface issues.
Build failure signatures and defect libraries; distinguish process-induced, design-induced, and stress-induced failure modes.
Translate FA findings into actionable recommendations for device, process, packaging, and reliability teams, and verify effectiveness of corrective actions.
Produce clear, rigorous FA reports and present root-cause conclusions to engineering and leadership; support customer and foundry-facing analyses.