Senior Packaging FA Engineer

Thrively is partnering with an innovative, well-funded semiconductor technology company developing next-generation photonic and microelectronic hardware for high-performance computing and AI infrastructure. As the company advances its technology toward commercial production, it is expanding its engineering organization to support increasingly sophisticated semiconductor packaging, materials integration, and product reliability requirements. We are seeking an experienced, highly hands-on Senior Packaging Failure Analysis Engineer to lead physical failure investigations across advanced semiconductor packages, silicon photonics, MEMS devices, and precision optical/electronic assemblies. This is a technically challenging opportunity for an engineer who enjoys working at the intersection of materials science, semiconductor packaging, analytical characterization, and root-cause failure analysis . The successful candidate will investigate complex failures involving bonded interfaces, adhesives, solder interconnects, semiconductor materials, and precision assemblies—using advanced analytical techniques to identify failure mechanisms and drive meaningful improvements in product design, manufacturing processes, and long-term reliability. This is not primarily a reliability qualification or simulation position. We are looking for someone who is comfortable personally preparing samples, performing cross-sectional analysis, operating analytical equipment, and investigating failures at the microscopic and materials-interface level. Key Responsibilities Physical Failure Analysis & Root Cause Investigation Lead hands-on failure analysis investigations across semiconductor packages, MEMS devices, silicon photonic components, and electronic/optical assemblies. Perform destructive and non-destructive physical analysis to identify failure mechanisms associated with materials, interfaces, assembly processes, and packaging structures. Develop and execute effective failure analysis strategies, selecting appropriate analytical techniques based on the suspected failure mechanism, sample geometry, and required resolution. Personally perform or direct detailed sample preparation, including mechanical cross-sectioning, mounting, grinding, polishing, and other techniques used to expose microscopic material interfaces. Investigate defects such as cracking, voiding, contamination, delamination, corrosion, diffusion, adhesion loss, and intermetallic compound formation. Translate analytical findings into actionable root-cause conclusions, corrective actions, and recommendations for design and process improvements. Advanced Packaging & Materials Interfaces Investigate failures involving die attach, adhesive and epoxy bonding, solder interconnects, wire bonding, wafer bonding, and other advanced packaging processes. Analyze bonded semiconductor interfaces, including silicon-to-silicon, silicon-to-glass, fusion-bonded, eutectic, and other heterogeneous material structures. Evaluate adhesion, fracture, interfacial reactions, thermal-mechanical stresses, and material compatibility. Characterize solder and metallurgical failures involving intermetallic formation, non-wetting, fatigue cracking, voiding, and thermal cycling. Investigate polymer and adhesive-related failures, including cure shrinkage, creep, outgassing, contamination, delamination, and thermal degradation. Support failure investigations involving precision optical assemblies, fiber attachment, and hermetic or environmentally sensitive packaging structures. Analytical Characterization & Laboratory Capabilities Utilize analytical techniques including: Optical microscopy and mechanical cross-sectioning Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS/EDX) Focused Ion Beam (FIB) analysis X-ray imaging and computed tomography (CT) Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM/C-SAM) FTIR, XPS, XRD, and other relevant materials characterization techniques Understand the capabilities, limitations, detection thresholds, and resolution of different analytical methods to determine the most effective approach for each investigation. Conduct or support mechanical characterization, including die shear, bond strength, fiber pull, adhesion, and fracture testing. Help establish, improve, and scale internal failure analysis capabilities, including equipment selection, sample preparation workflows, analytical procedures, and laboratory best practices. Maintain clear technical documentation of investigation methods, observations, root causes, and corrective actions. Cross-Functional Engineering Collaboration Partner closely with packaging, process integration, materials, design, reliability, and manufacturing engineering teams. Support engineering development experiments and design-of-experiments (DOE) activities by characterizing samples and identifying differences in material or interface performance. Provide rapid analytical feedback to accelerate process optimization, packaging development, and product qualification. Collaborate with external foundries, assembly partners, and analytical laboratories when specialized testing or additional capabilities are required. Contribute to design-for-reliability and design-for-manufacturability improvements as products transition from development into higher-volume production. Required Qualifications Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related technical discipline. 8+ years of relevant experience in hands-on failure analysis, physical analysis, materials characterization, or semiconductor/advanced packaging engineering. Demonstrated experience performing physical failure analysis of semiconductor packages, microelectronic assemblies, bonded materials, or similarly complex miniature structures. Strong hands-on experience with mechanical cross-sectioning, sample preparation, grinding/polishing, and microscopic inspection of material interfaces. Practical expertise with SEM/EDS and complementary physical or analytical characterization techniques. Strong understanding of materials science, interfacial phenomena, adhesion, fracture mechanics, metallurgical reactions, and thermomechanical failure mechanisms. Experience investigating failures involving bonded structures, adhesives, solder joints, die attach, interconnects, or other packaging materials. Ability to independently develop an investigation plan, select analytical techniques, interpret results, and determine root cause. Experience translating failure analysis findings into corrective actions and measurable engineering improvements. Strong communication and technical documentation skills, with the ability to collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines. Preferred Qualifications Experience with advanced semiconductor packaging technologies, including wafer-level packaging, heterogeneous integration, 2.5D/3D packaging, or MEMS packaging. Familiarity with silicon photonics, optical packaging, fiber-to-chip interfaces, or precision optical assemblies. Experience investigating fusion bonding, eutectic bonding, thermocompression bonding, or other advanced semiconductor joining techniques. Knowledge of adhesive and polymer characterization, including CTE, glass transition temperature (Tg), modulus, cure behavior, and material compatibility. Experience with solder metallurgy, intermetallic compounds, and semiconductor package interconnect reliability. Familiarity with hermeticity testing, moisture ingress, outgassing, or MEMS-related failure mechanisms. Experience with reliability standards such as JEDEC, Telcordia GR-468, or MIL-STD-883. Previous involvement in establishing, expanding, or managing an internal failure analysis laboratory. Experience supporting products through prototype development, process qualification, and manufacturing scale-up. Why Consider This Opportunity? Work on genuinely challenging technology. Contribute to advanced semiconductor and photonic hardware designed to address demanding performance and scalability requirements in next-generation computing infrastructure. Make a direct technical impact. Your investigations will help determine why complex assemblies fail and directly influence materials selection, packaging architecture, manufacturing processes, and product reliability. Own the analysis from start to finish. This is an opportunity to remain deeply hands-on while exercising significant technical ownership over failure analysis strategies, laboratory capabilities, and root-cause investigations. Help build engineering capabilities. Play an important role in developing the analytical infrastructure and processes needed to support a rapidly advancing hardware platform. Join at an important stage of growth. Work with an experienced multidisciplinary engineering team as innovative semiconductor technology progresses toward commercial-scale manufacturing. #J-18808-Ljbffr thrively