Yield Engineer - Process Integration

AOI; Sugar Land (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package (US)

Immigration sponsorships (US)

Generous PTO policy with payout

Job summary

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) seeks a Yield Engineer to join the Process Integration group at its Sugar Land facility. You will analyze wafer fabrication, equipment, metrology, device-test, and reliability data to identify yield trends and improvement opportunities.

Collaboration with Fab, R&D, Equipment Engineering, Quality, Test, and Reliability is essential. The role requires strong statistical analysis, DOE planning, and the ability to translate findings into action.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field (EE, MSE, ChemE, Physics, Statistics)
• 3+ years in semiconductor manufacturing, process/ yield engineering, or reliability
• Strong knowledge of statistical data analysis (SPC, charts, Cp/Cpk, DOE)
• Experience with JMP or similar software for manufacturing-data analysis
• Ability to translate statistics into practical process actions
• Understanding of semiconductor fabrication processes, metrology, and controls
• Experience investigating yield loss and process excursions
• Ability to collaborate with Fab, R&D, Equipment Eng, Quality, Test, Reliability

Responsibilities

• Analyze fab process, equipment, metrology, yield, and reliability data to identify trends and sources of variation
• Monitor yield by product, process step, tool, recipe, lot, and wafer over time
• Develop and maintain SPC charts for critical parameters and product characteristics
• Evaluate Cp, Cpk, and other metrics; work with process owners to improve capability
• Plan and analyze designed experiments to improve performance, stability, yield, and reliability
• Define yield metrics and data analysis plans with process owners and Manufacturing Data Engineer
• Establish process controls and reaction plans for critical parameters
• Identify abnormal behavior and support investigations of excursions
• Lead or support yield-loss investigations using wafer maps, defect data, and test results
• Transfer new products/processes to manufacturing with proper controls and yield monitoring
• Collaborate with Quality and Reliability to connect fab conditions with burn-in and product performance
• Prioritize yield-loss mechanisms by impact and evidence
• Recommend corrective actions and verify effectiveness via follow-up data and experiments
• Prepare yield reports, trend charts, wafer maps, DOE summaries, and technical presentations
• Document investigation results, improvements, actions, and lessons learned

Skills

Statistical data analysis

SPC & control charts

DOE (Design of Experiments)

Regression/ANOVA

JMP or similar statistical software

Data interpretation & actionable steps

Cross-functional collaboration

Structured problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Physics

Bachelor's degree in Statistics

Tools

JMP

Python

SQL

Job description

Summary

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) is seeking a Yield Engineer to join the Process Integration group at its Sugar Land facility.

This position will analyze wafer fabrication, equipment, metrology, device-test, and reliability data to identify yield trends, process variation, and improvement opportunities. The Yield Engineer will work closely with Fab Process Engineering, R&D, Equipment Engineering, Quality, Test, and Reliability teams to improve process stability, process capability, product yield, and reliability.

The successful candidate will combine semiconductor process knowledge with strong statistical analysis and structured problem-solving skills. The engineer will plan and analyze designed experiments, monitor critical process indicators, investigate yield excursions, and translate analytical findings into process-improvement actions.

Responsibilities

• Analyze fab process, equipment, metrology, device-test, yield, and reliability data to identify trends, patterns, correlations, and sources of variation.
• Monitor yield by product, process step, tool, recipe, lot, wafer, and time period.
• Develop and maintain SPC charts for critical process parameters and product characteristics.
• Evaluate process performance using Cp, Cpk, and other statistical measures, and work with process owners to improve process capability.
• Plan, monitor, and analyze designed experiments to improve process performance, stability, yield, and reliability.
• Define yield metrics, analysis plans, data grouping, and comparison methods in collaboration with process owners and the Manufacturing Data Engineer.
• Establish appropriate process controls, monitoring methods, and reaction plans for critical process and product parameters.
• Identify abnormal process behavior and support the timely investigation of manufacturing excursions.
• Lead or support yield-loss investigations using wafer maps, defect data, equipment history, metrology results, device-test data, and reliability results.
• Work with Fab Process Engineering and Equipment Engineering to understand process- and tool-related variation.
• Collaborate with R&D to transfer new products and processes into manufacturing with appropriate controls and yield-monitoring plans.
• Partner with Quality and Reliability teams to connect fab process conditions with burn-in, reliability, and product-performance results.
• Prioritize yield-loss mechanisms based on technical impact, statistical evidence, and business importance.
• Recommend corrective actions and verify their effectiveness through follow‑up experiments and production data.
• Prepare clear yield reports, trend charts, wafer maps, DOE summaries, and technical presentations for engineering and management.
• Document investigation results, process improvements, corrective actions, and lessons learned.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Statistics, or a related technical field.
• Three or more years of experience in semiconductor manufacturing, process engineering, yield engineering, process integration, product engineering, or reliability engineering.
• Strong knowledge of statistical data analysis, including SPC, control charts, process capability, hypothesis testing, regression, ANOVA, and DOE.
• Strong working knowledge of JMP or similar statistical‑analysis software for manufacturing‑data analysis.
• Ability to analyze large datasets and translate statistical results into practical process actions.
• Good understanding of semiconductor fabrication processes, equipment, metrology, and manufacturing controls.
• Experience investigating process excursions, yield loss, process variation, or reliability failures.
• Demonstrated ability to connect semiconductor process variation with device performance, yield, or reliability results.
• Ability to work effectively with Fab, R&D, Equipment Engineering, Quality, Test, and Reliability teams.
• Strong technical communication and structured problem‑solving skills.

Preferred

• Master's degree or above in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Statistics, or a related field.
• Experience in optoelectronics, photonics, compound semiconductor, or IC manufacturing.
• Experience with InP, GaAs, silicon, or related semiconductor technologies.
• Experience analyzing wafer maps, defect inspection, equipment history, inline metrology, electrical test, optical test, burn‑in, or reliability data.
• Experience improving process capability, Cp, Cpk, yield, scrap, or rework through statistically designed experiments.
• Working knowledge of Python or SQL for data extraction, analysis, and visualization.
• Familiarity with GR&R, measurement‑system analysis, FMEA, 8D, root‑cause analysis, and corrective‑action methods.

Location

This position will be on‑site based in Sugar Land, Texas.

Why AOI?

In addition to competitive salary, AOI offers

• Flexible and competitive health (medical, dental, vision) plans offer the employee with the right options to meet individual and family needs
• Employer matching on 401(k) deferrals
• Generous PTO policy, with unused PTO payout at end of the year
• Relocation package available within US
• Immigration sponsorships (Must be currently authorized to work in the US)