Silicon Debug Engineer

Job Title

Silicon Debug Engineer

Role Summary

Join Microsoft's Silicon Manufacturing and Product Engineering team to lead failure analysis, fault isolation, and root-cause debug for custom datacenter SoCs (Cobalt, Maia). You will investigate first-silicon, manufacturing, reliability qualification, system integration and RMA failures and work across design, test, package, manufacturing and supplier teams.

Experience Level

Mid-level - typically requires 3+ years of relevant semiconductor product, test, failure-analysis or silicon-debug experience.

Responsibilities

The role owns investigations from failure intake through electrical localization and disposition, coordinates cross-functional debug, and improves debug methods and automation.

• Lead FA/FI investigations for first-silicon bring-up, NPI, reliability qualification, system integration and RMA cases.
• Reproduce and characterize failures on ATE and system environments using shmoo, margin data and failure-signature correlation.
• Isolate failures across memory, logic, interconnect, I/O, clock/reset, power and security subsystems using DFT diagnostics and electrical evidence.
• Perform electrical failure analysis and fault localization using optical/laser techniques where available (EMMI, LVI, LADA, etc.).
• Debug test hardware, load boards, sockets and test programs; develop workarounds and corrective actions when test infrastructure contributes to failures.
• Correlate ATE results with lab, OSAT, supplier and customer-platform data to validate manufacturability against specs.
• Define FA plans, select lab capabilities, prepare PFA requests and integrate EFA/PFA results into root-cause conclusions.
• Drive cross-functional debug reviews; maintain traceable records of evidence, decisions, risks and actions.
• Develop and improve debug automation and data analysis methods (Python/Java, statistical analysis, DOE).
• Contribute to screening improvements, test-hole closure and lessons learned that scale across programs.

Requirements

Concise list of required and preferred technical skills and screening expectations. Degree details are summarized in Education Requirements below.

• Must-have: 3+ years hands-on experience in integrated-circuit failure analysis, fault isolation, silicon debug, ATE test engineering or test-program/content development.
• Must-have: Experience debugging complex SoCs across at least two areas (e.g., boot, JTAG, clocks/resets, memory/MBIST, scan, high-speed I/O, power management, security/fuses).
• Must-have: Experience interpreting electrical test data and driving root-cause investigations to closure with cross-functional teams.
• Must-have: Practical experience with ATE and system-level test environments, and familiarity with production/debug test programs and shmoo analysis.
• Must-have: Ability to document investigations, communicate technical evidence clearly, and maintain traceable records.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with HPC/AI/CPU/GPU or advanced SoC silicon and first-silicon bring-up.
• Nice-to-have: Hands-on use of V93000/Smartest 8 or similar ATE, and experience with EFA/PFA techniques (X-ray, C-SAM, FIB, SEM, EMMI, LVI, LADA).
• Nice-to-have: Knowledge of DFT/DFM, scan, MBIST/BISR, device physics and semiconductor/package failure modes.
• Nice-to-have: Python/Java skills for debug automation, data analysis and DOE.
• Screening: Must pass Microsoft Cloud Background Check and satisfy applicable export-control eligibility checks (citizenship/residency verification).

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Materials Science or a related technical field is specified in the posting; the role also accepts equivalent practical experience. The posting pairs the degree expectation with 3+ years of semiconductor product, test, failure-analysis or silicon-debug experience (or equivalent experience).

About the Company

Company: Microsoft

Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States

Microsoft is a global technology company that develops and sells software, services, devices, and solutions. Known for its Windows operating system, Office suite, and Azure cloud platform, Microsoft aims to empower individuals and organizations around the world to achieve more. The company fosters a culture of innovation and inclusion, focusing on delivering trusted experiences to customers and partners globally.