ABOUT US
Empower Semiconductor, based in Silicon Valley, powers the AI revolution with its FinFast technology by reducing the energy footprint and total cost of ownership of data centers. Its transformational integrated voltage regulators deliver on-demand scalable power with the speed, precision and signal integrity required by AI processors. Empower's power-management architecture shrinks solution footprint, height and component count, achieving vertical power delivery with unprecedented power density and efficiency.
Empower is seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Reliability and Failure Analysis Engineer to support product reliability qualification and root cause failure analysis for Empower's products. The ideal candidate will be responsible for executing analytical tasks, managing product reliability and qualification activities, supporting cross-functional teams, and contributing to product quality in a fast-paced startup environment.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Support root cause failure investigations arising from reliability testing, manufacturing, and field returns.
- Develop and execute detailed failure analysis plans.
- Conduct hands-on physical and electrical failure analysis (FA) using a variety of tools in-house and at outside labs (e.g., SEM, EDS, CSAM, X-ray, bench characterization).
- Perform material and defect characterization to identify failure modes in semiconductors, packages, and assemblies.
- Prepare clear and technically sound failure analysis reports for internal and external stakeholders.
- Execute product qualification and reliability stress testing on semiconductor products (e.g., HTOL, TC, HAST).
- Collaborate with design, manufacturing, test, and quality engineering teams to ensure robust failure resolution.
- Support corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) based on FA findings. Generate 8D corrective action reports.
- Assist with customer communications to resolve quality issues and provide technical insights.
- Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives in product reliability, analysis methodologies, and lab capability development.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related STEM discipline.
- 5 years of industry experience in semiconductor reliability or failure analysis.
- Hands-on experience with FA techniques such as:
- Material analysis: SEM, EDS, XPS, optical profiler.
- Electrical testing: Oscilloscopes, curve tracers, thermal imaging.
- Fault isolation: Photon emission, OBIRCH, X-ray, CSAM.
- Understanding of semiconductor device physics, packaging technologies, and common failure mechanisms (physics of failure).
- Experience analyzing failures caused by thermal, electrical, and mechanical stress.
- Familiar with JEDEC reliability standards and procedures.
- Project management experience with external reliability and FA labs.
- Strong statistical data analysis capability. Experience with data analysis packages (JMP, Python, Minitab, etc.).
- Strong technical writing skills and ability to create detailed FA documentation, reliability reports, and qualification reports.
- Good verbal communication skills and ability to work in cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated organizational skills, with the ability to handle and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously in a timely manner in a fast-paced environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's or Ph. D. degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or Materials Science.
- Experience with power and/or analog/mixed-signal ICs, or power IC failure modes.
- Experience with SoC architecture Reliability/FA and packaging failure mechanisms (e.g., electromigration, delamination).
- Experience supporting customer quality investigations and field return analysis.
- Prior reliability test and FA engagements with OSAT suppliers a plus.
- Exposure to reliability modeling and risk assessment methods such as FMEA, DOE, and Weibull analysis.
- HTOL and HAST board layout and schematic interpretation.