nEye.ai · 3 months ago
"Technical Detective" (Opto-MEMS Failure Analysis Engineer)
Santa Clara, CA, US
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior LevelnEye.ai is a well-funded optical switch startup aiming to revolutionize data centers with its MEMS-based silicon photonics optical circuit switches. The Technical Detective will investigate and resolve failures in optical and electronic systems, utilizing hands-on analysis and root-cause methodologies to ensure product reliability and performance.
Advanced MaterialsNanotechnologySemiconductor
Responsibilities
Triage & reproduce elusive failures across devices, subassemblies, and full systems (electro-optical, mechanical, thermal, firmware-interaction symptoms)
Frame the hypothesis space: turn vague symptoms into crisp, ranked hypotheses; design scrappy experiments and minimum test rigs to kill the wrong ones fast
Interrogate parts & materials: plan and execute FA with internal tools and external labs (SEM/FIB/EDX, SAM, X-ray/CT, optical microscopy/interferometry, profilometry, ellipsometry, SIMS, FTIR, TGA/DSC, leak/outgas)
Instrument & measure: optical (insertion loss, PDL/PMD, spectra), electrical (IV/CV, noise, leakage), mechanical (resonance, stiction, friction, creep), thermal (hot-spots, gradients), and time-domain behavior
Reliability sleuthing (not a “career REL” role): plan targeted stress screens (temp-cycle, THB, HTOL, HALT/HASS, vibration/shock), derive Weibull/Arrhenius models where useful, lead and maintain cross-functional FMEAs (DFMEA/PFMEA) to identify failure modes early and ensure that design and process mitigations are traceable and verified; link failure physics to design/process fixes
Root-cause to corrective action: use 5-Whys, Ishikawa, 8D, DOE/JMP, SPC to get to physics-based RCAs; drive containment + permanent fix with design, process, packaging, and test owners
Build the toolbox: decide when to buy a tool, hack a fixture, or use an external lab; qualify vendors; create FA playbooks and lab SOPs
Communicate like a pro: write tight, visual reports and give exec-level readouts that separate cause, correlation, and conjecture; keep dashboards current
Close the loop: verify fixes via experiment, characterize margins, and lock in updated control plans and incoming/outgoing tests with Foundry/Test/OPS
Qualification
Required
BS/MS/PhD in Physics, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or similar (EE/ME with strong failure-physics chops also works)
Hands-on lab athlete: comfort tearing down, probing, wiring, aligning optics, scripting quick analyses, and building fixtures
Demonstrated track record of root-causing multi-disciplinary hardware problems (optical/electrical/mechanical/thermal interactions)
Practical familiarity with a meaningful subset of: SEM/FIB/EDX, interferometry, SAM/X-ray, leak/outgas, IV/CV, high-speed logging, DOE/JMP, SPC
Reliability literacy: can design fit-for-purpose stress tests and interpret Weibull/Arrhenius without making REL your identity
Clear, concise communicator: can brief technicians at 9am and execs at 5pm with the same facts, tuned to audience
Startup mindset: bias to action, frugal creativity, and joy in ambiguity
Preferred
Experience in MEMS, silicon photonics, opto-MEMS, precision packaging, or micro-assembly
Prior work with foundry/OSAT partners and external FA labs; basic vendor qualification savvy
Data wrangling: Python/MATLAB for quick analyses, instrument control, and plots; familiarity with JMP/Spotfire
Light firmware or test automation (PyVISA, LabVIEW) to stand up repeatable experiments
Knowledge of cleanroom processes (litho/etch/depo/CMP/wafer bonding) and how they manifest as field failures
System-level debug in racks/servers (signal integrity, power/thermal interactions)
Company
nEye.ai
We are nEye Systems, an optical switch startup founded in 2020 to revolutionize the future of data centers.
Founded in 2020
11-50 employees
H1B Sponsorship
nEye.ai has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (1)
2023 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$72.54MKey Investors
CapitalGTEDA
2025-04-10Series B· $58M
2023-09-15Series A· $14.54M
Leadership Team
Tae Joon Seok
Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder
Xiaosheng Zhang
Founding Engineer
Recent News
2025-05-04
globallegalchronicle.com
2025-04-17
2025-04-15
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