Hardware Failure Analysis Engineer – Physical Failure Analysis
NVIDIAJob Title
Hardware Failure Analysis Engineer – Physical Failure Analysis
Role Summary
Join the Interconnect Failure Analysis team within Product Engineering to execute physical failure analysis on advanced interconnect products used in AI and high-performance computing systems. The role focuses on laboratory investigation, sample preparation, materials characterization, and cross-functional collaboration to determine root causes of hardware failures.
Experience Level
Mid-level engineer. The role requests approximately 3+ years of relevant failure analysis or materials/semiconductor characterization experience.
Responsibilities
Perform and lead physical failure investigations, develop methods, and deliver technical findings.
- Lead physical failure analysis on PCBs, packages, optical modules, ASICs, and electro-mechanical assemblies.
- Develop, optimize, and execute destructive and non-destructive sample preparation techniques to expose failure sites while preserving evidence.
- Operate and apply advanced microscopy and analytical techniques: SEM, FIB (cross-sectioning and circuit editing), optical microscopy, X-ray/CT, and cross-section/surface/fracture analysis.
- Correlate physical findings with electrical, optical, manufacturing, and reliability data to determine root cause.
- Design new FA methodologies and improve laboratory capabilities, workflows, and best practices.
- Partner with design, manufacturing, quality, reliability, packaging, and system engineering teams to drive corrective actions.
- Produce clear technical reports documenting failure mechanisms, evidence, and recommendations.
- Evaluate and qualify new FA tools, sample methods, and characterization techniques.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and experience for independently executing complex physical failure investigations.
- 3+ years of experience in hardware failure analysis, materials characterization, semiconductor analysis, or package analysis.
- Hands-on experience with destructive sample preparation: polishing, grinding, cross-sectioning, decapsulation, and precision material removal.
- Proven operation of analytical equipment: SEM, FIB, X-ray/CT, and optical microscopy.
- Strong understanding of failure mechanisms in semiconductor devices, electronic packages, PCBs, solder joints, connectors, or optical assemblies.
- Experience developing structured root-cause investigations using physical evidence.
- Excellent analytical, documentation, and communication skills; ability to drive investigations independently.
- Nice-to-have: experience correlating physical FA with electrical/optical test data and manufacturing/reliability metrics.
Education Requirements
B.Sc., M.Sc., or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field.
About the Company
Company: NVIDIA
Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA
NVIDIA is a global leader in accelerated computing, renowned for its innovative solutions in AI and digital twins that transform diverse industries. The company specializes in networking technologies, providing end-to-end InfiniBand and Ethernet solutions for servers and storage that optimize performance and scalability. NVIDIA serves sectors such as high-performance computing, enterprise data centers, and cloud computing, constantly reinventing its products and services to stay ahead in the market.
