Senior MTS Reliability Engineer

SLD Laser, a world leader in commercialization of gallium nitride (GaN) based laser light sources, was acquired by KYOCERA Corporation and has commenced operations as a wholly owned subsidiary and group company of KYOCERA Corporation under the name KYOCERA SLD Laser, Inc. (KSLD). KSLD is commercializing a new generation of gallium nitride-based laser light sources. KSLD's high luminance LaserLightTM sources are utilized in a myriad of applications including automotive & mobility, specialty & portable lighting, entertainment & outdoor, projection & AR/VR displays, biomedical instrumentation & therapeutics, and industrial imaging & material processing.

The company is ISO 9001 certified and automotive compliant to IATF 16949, and operates facilities in Santa Barbara, CA and in Fremont, CA. KSLD's high luminance LaserLightTM sources are UL and IEC safety certified. The company was recently ranked 7th in Fortune magazine's "2021 Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & ProductionTM," having promoted an employee-centric corporate culture since its founding.

KSLD will continue to pioneer the future of light by developing, manufacturing and marketing innovative laser-based products with high efficiency and luminance for mobility, specialty lighting, consumer, and industrial applications.

To learn more about KSLD, visit www.kyocera-sldlaser.com or contact the company at info@kyocera-sldlaser.com or 1-866-753-5273.

Job Description

We are seeking a Senior MTS Reliability Engineer to own the reliability roadmap for GaN based optoelectronic products, from early concept through mass production. This role is essential for maintaining high standards of product quality and safety, supporting ongoing improvements, and upholding the organization's reputation for excellence. The position calls for strong technical skills (particularly in using physical failure analysis tools and data interpretation), analytical thinking, and effective cross-functional communication to determine root causes of failures and suggest appropriate corrective actions.

Reporting to the director of process integration, you will work cross functionally with epi, fab, packaging and packaging teams to analyze failures in GaN optoelectronic devices. In this position you will be responsible for evaluating electrical, optical, thermal and microstructural properties, to uncover root cause of failure mechanisms through use of various FA and data analytical tools. You will also help centralize chip process and test results and do data mining to improve the yield and performance. Understanding device's structure, process flow and key characteristics will be critical for this position, knowledge on laser physics will be a plus. Being able to generate organized report and present to the team will be essential for the success of reliability, yield and performance improvement.

Specific Responsibilities

• Perform data-driven root-cause analysis and reliability modeling to provide actionable recommendations to the epitaxy and fabrication teams for improving device reliability.

• Document process excursion related failure signature/symptoms and recommend corrective action to prevent reoccurrence of problems.

• Device reliability related failure analysis to classify the failure modes and establish failure pareto in lot qualification and various reliability test.

• Microstructure analysis to support fab process engineering work, using existing tools and external service labs.

• Conduct innovative use of new analytical tools, equipment and methodologies.

• Compare laser chip vs integrated product reliability lifetime and major failure modes, identify and fill the gap.

• Work with FA engineer for physical FA to nail down the existing weak point/failure mechanism and prevent the potential failures based on device physics and semiconductor processing knowledge.

• Work with FA engineer to develop new FA tool and metrology with service lab, as well as in-house FA tool and metrology.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, or a related physical science discipline.

• 8+ years of experience in reliability engineering, preferably with laser diodes, LEDs, photonic integrated circuits (PICs) or other III-V optoelectronic devices.

• Expertise in reliability physics, failure mechanisms, statistical modeling, and qualification testing.

• Understand fab processing and/or device physics.

• Understand characterization (LIV, spectral, thermal, optical power measurements, near/far field).

• Experience with various FA tools, including but not limited to SEM, FIB etc.

• Proficiency with data analysis tool (JMP, Python, MATLAB, Minitab, or similar)

• Document control such as FMEA, SOP, CAPA.

• Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership skills.

The full-time base salary range for the position Sr MTS Reliability Engineer is $182,750 pa to $215,000 per annum. The range reflects the minimum and maximum possible base salary for new hires for the role, based on the advertised location. Individual pay is determined by several factors including work location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and training. For more information about the base salary range applicable to the work location, talk to the recruiter.

Kyocera SLD Laser, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and requirements of personnel as classified.

Medical, Dental, vision, 401k