Failure Analysis Engineer

HyperLight Corporation; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) with matching

Parental Leave

Life and disability insurance

Commuter benefits

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

HyperLight Corporation in Cambridge, MA seeks a Failure Analysis specialist to own FA cases from question definition through reporting. You will perform SEM/EDS, XPS/Raman/FTIR analysis, and plan cross-sections with FIB, while coordinating outsourced TEM work.

The role requires hands-on cleanroom experience, independent operation, rigorous experimental design, and strong technical writing to support process improvements across photonics. In-person at our Cambridge site.

Qualifications

• Education and experience: BS + 3+ years cleanroom/characterization, or MS + 1–2 years, or PhD.
• Independent cleanroom experience with multiple processes and SOPs.
• Independent SEM operation and EDS interpretation.
• Ability to design analyses with proper controls and document results.

Responsibilities

• Own FA cases end to end: define questions, plan analyses, execute, write reports.
• Sequence analyses on irreplaceable samples; choose cross-sections wisely.
• Perform optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, FIB lift-out, AFM and profilometry as needed.
• Characterize surfaces and chemistry (XPS, Raman, FTIR) and interpret data.
• Manage outsourced analyses (TEM) with external labs.
• Support post-reliability FA on stressed parts and customer returns.
• Work in cleanroom on sample prep and light fabrication for demos.
• Write clear, evidence-based reports and present findings to stakeholders.
• Maintain sample custody and FA database records.

Skills

Independent cleanroom experience

Technical writing

Experimental design

Documentation and reporting

Safety training compliance

Analytical thinking

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

BS in materials science and engineering (or related field)

MS in one of the above with 1–2 years experience

PhD in one of the above

Tools

SEM operation

EDS analysis

FIB cross-sectioning

XPS data analysis

Raman spectroscopy

FTIR spectroscopy

TEM outsourcing management

Photolithography

E‑beam lithography

Ellipsometry

Profilometry

Job description

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.

What you’ll do

• 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.

• Education and experience — one of:
  • 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.

Preferred

• FIB for cross‑sectioning, lift‑out, and TEM lamella preparation.
• XPS data analysis – peak fitting, charge referencing/correction, chemical‑state assignment. This is the hardest analytical skill on the list and weighs accordingly.
• 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.

What we look for

Two qualities matter more here than any single tool on the list.

The first is curiosity that doesn’t quit – the instinct to stop at the odd thing in the corner of
the image rather than move on because it wasn’t what you were looking for. Most root causes we find started as an incidental observation someone chose not to ignore.

The second is calibration – being willing to say the evidence doesn’t yet support a conclusion,
and to change your mind when a control comes back wrong. FA findings drive real changes to
production, so being confidently wrong is expensive.

Physical and work environment demands

• Work is performed in cleanroom and laboratory environments requiring full gowning (coverall, hood, face mask, gloves, shoe covers, safety glasses), donned and removed multiple times per day.
• Extended periods of standing and walking in the cleanroom, frequently 2 - 4 hours at a stretch, with limited flexibility to step away mid-process.
• Manual dexterity and fine motor control are sufficient to handle wafers, chips, and sub‑millimeter features with tweezers under a microscope.
• Close visual acuity (correctable) for microscope and instrument work. Lithography bays operate under filtered yellow lighting.
• Routine work with hazardous chemicals including acids, bases, and solvents using prescribed PPE. Site‑specific safety training is required before working independently.
• Certain characterization instruments generate strong magnetic fields; access to those tools may be restricted for individuals with pacemakers or other implanted medical devices.
• Local travel between the HyperLight office/lab and shared user facilities at Harvard CNS and MIT.nano.
• Occasional off‑hours or weekend work when tool availability at shared facilities requires it.
• Extended periods at a workstation for data analysis and report writing.

• 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

This role is in‑person at HyperLight's office in Cambridge, MA. Authorization to work in the US is required.

HyperLight is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. HyperLight is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during our hiring process. If you need assistance or an accommodation, please contact us at [e-mail].