--- title: 'Senior Packaging Failure Analysis Engineer at nEye.ai' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-packaging-failure-analysis-engineer-neye-ai-santa-clara-w4fzfvge6g2a' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-10' --- # Senior Packaging Failure Analysis Engineer at nEye.ai - **Company:** nEye.ai - **Location:** Santa Clara, CA - **Compensation:** $165k–$220k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-17 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-10 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/neye-systems-inc./46199de7-a49d-4579-8f26-e3ce7aef2ffc ## Job description ## About Us nEye.ai, a well-funded optical switch startup, is poised to revolutionize the future of data centers. nEye’s MEMS-based silicon photonics optical circuit switches (OCS) eliminate critical bottlenecks in AI processing by enabling direct optical connections among thousands of GPUs and memory units. The company's SuperSwitch is an ultra-low power consumption, high radix, compact chip-scale design, offering hyperscale data centers enhanced performance, efficiency, and scalability. Position Summary We are seeking a hands-on Senior Packaging Failure Analysis Engineer to lead root-cause investigation of complex failures across our silicon photonics, MEMS, optical packaging, and electronic assemblies. This role will have a particular focus on cross-sectioning bonded components and analyzing material interfaces, including adhesive/epoxy attach, fusion and eutectic bonding, solder interconnects, and hermetic packages. The ideal candidate combines a strong foundation in materials science and interfacial phenomena with deep practical experience in failure analysis, microscopy, analytical characterization, and sample preparation. You will own investigations from initial non-destructive analysis through destructive physical analysis, determine the appropriate characterization technique for each problem, translate findings into actionable root cause and corrective actions, and feed learnings back into product design, packaging, manufacturing, and supplier processes. Over time, this individual may also play a key role in building and expanding in-house failure analysis capabilities, including cross-sectioning/polishing, microscopy, SEM/EDS, and related analytical infrastructure. ## Key Responsibilities - Lead structured failure analysis and root-cause investigations across silicon photonics, MEMS, optical packaging, bonded assemblies, and PCBAs. - Perform and interpret cross-sections of bonded structures and material interfaces, identifying defects, intermetallic formation, diffusion, cracking, voiding, contamination, delamination, and other failure mechanisms. - Develop FA workflows using the appropriate progression of non-destructive and destructive analytical techniques, including optical microscopy, X-ray/CT, SAM, IR imaging, cross-sectioning, FIB, SEM/EDS, XPS, XRD, and related methods. - Apply a strong understanding of materials science, phase diagrams, interfacial reactions, and failure mechanisms to interpret analytical results—for example, identifying phase formation within Au-Si or other bonded interfaces. - Understand the capabilities, limitations, detection depths, spatial resolution, and appropriate application of different analytical and metrology techniques and select the best method for each investigation. - Analyze fusion and eutectic bonded interfaces, including Si-Si, Si-glass, Au-Sn, and Au-Si systems, for unbonded regions, particle-induced voids, cracking, weak-bond propagation, and other interfacial defects. - Investigate photonics fiber/FAU attach and adhesive failures, including coupling-loss shifts, alignment drift, delamination, voiding, cure shrinkage, creep, photodarkening, and outgassing. - Support epoxy/material selection and characterization, including CTE, modulus, Tg, refractive index, ionic content, and cure kinetics, using techniques such as DSC and FTIR. - Investigate solder and PCBA failures, including voiding, non-wet opens, head-in-pillow, pad cratering, IMC growth, fatigue cracking, warpage, and reflow-related defects. - Support hermeticity and MEMS failure investigations, including leak testing, moisture ingress, contamination, stiction, cavity pressure shifts, and outgassing-driven drift. - Perform or coordinate mechanical characterization including die shear, fiber pull, bond-strength/toughness testing, chisel testing, and four-point bending. - Maintain disciplined FA documentation and a failure database, drive 8D/root-cause and corrective-action closure, and communicate findings clearly to engineering and manufacturing teams. - Feed FA learnings into DFM/DFR, design improvements, process development, and OSAT/module partner corrective actions. - Support product qualification and reliability investigations against relevant JEDEC, Telcordia GR-468, and MIL-STD-883 requirements. - Help define and potentially establish in-house FA laboratory capabilities, including equipment selection, sample-preparation workflows, polishing/cross-sectioning, SEM/EDS, and laboratory best practices. Required Skills - BS, MS, or PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline. - 8+ years of hands-on experience in failure analysis, materials characterization, or physical analysis within semiconductors, advanced packaging, photonics, MEMS, microelectronics, or a related field. - Demonstrated expertise in cross-sectioning and analysis of bonded interfaces. - Strong knowledge of materials behavior, phase diagrams, intermetallics, interfaces, adhesion, fracture, and material interactions. - Hands-on experience with several analytical techniques such as SEM/EDS, FIB, XPS, XRD, optical microscopy, X-ray/CT, SAM, FTIR, and DSC. - Ability to select the appropriate analytical technique based on the failure mechanism being investigated and understand the strengths and limitations of each method. - Experience investigating packaging or assembly failure mechanisms involving adhesives, solder joints, wafer/die bonding, eutectic bonding, optical attach, or hermetic packages. - Strong root-cause problem-solving skills with an inquisitive, hypothesis-driven, and structured approach to failure analysis. - Ability to translate complex analytical findings into clear conclusions and actionable engineering recommendations. ## Preferred Skills - Experience establishing, expanding, or operating an internal failure-analysis laboratory is highly desirable. - Experience with silicon photonics, MEMS, optical packaging, or advanced semiconductor packaging is a plus. nEye is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ## About nEye.ai ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: nEye.ai develops ultra-low-power MEMS-based silicon photonic optical circuit switches (OCS) that eliminate connectivity bottlenecks in AI data centers, enabling direct optical links among thousands of GPUs. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series C funding stage) - **Headquarters**: Santa Clara, California, United States - **Founded**: 2020 - **Founders**: Ashish Vengsarkar (CEO), Ming Wu (Chief Scientist & Co-Founder), Tae Joon Seok (CTO & Co-Founder) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Semiconductor manufacturing (silicon photonics) / AI data center infrastructure - **Target customers**: Hyperscale data centers, cloud providers, AI/ML infrastructure operators (B2B, Enterprise) - **Mission**: To transform data center networks through innovative optical circuit switching technology, solving the most challenging problems in AI infrastructure. ## Products & Services - **[SuperSwitch](https://www.neye.ai)**: A chip-scale, high-radix optical circuit switch leveraging MEMS-based silicon photonics. It enables direct optical connections among GPUs and memory units, dramatically reducing power consumption and latency compared to electrical switches. Type: Hardware (silicon photonic switch). ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$152.5M** across four rounds (Series A, B, C, and a corporate round) as of April 2026 - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Sutter Hill Ventures (led Series C, $80M, April 2026), CapitalG (led Series B, $58M, May 2025), TEDA (led Series A, $14.5M, September 2023) - **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew **+164.7% YoY** to 36 employees; 12 active job postings (up 300% YoY); filed 12 patents in photonics, fiber optics, and optical devices; key hires from Google, AWS, Ayar Labs, and Intel. ## Competitive Advantages - **MEMS + Silicon Photonics Integration**: Combines micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) with silicon photonics on a single chip, enabling ultra-low power, high-radix switching in a compact form factor. - **Founding Team Depth**: Led by industry veterans with decades of experience at Bell Labs, UC Berkeley, Google, and successful optical startups (Photuris, Nistica). Chief Scientist Ming C. Wu is a renowned professor at UC Berkeley. - **Patented Technology**: 12 granted/pending patents covering lidar, photonic switch arrays, and optical devices. - **Hyperscaler Relevance**: Directly addresses the critical bottleneck in AI cluster networking, a problem actively being tackled by major cloud providers. ## Strategic Focus - **Scaling Engineering & Operations**: Heavily hiring across MEMS design, photonics, silicon photonics layout, test systems, and lab operations to accelerate product development and deployment. - **Hyperscale Deployment**: Targeting volume production and integration into the world’s largest AI data centers, leveraging team members’ prior experience at Google and AWS. - **Product Maturation**: Moving from prototype to commercial-grade SuperSwitch, with emphasis on reliability, yield, and cost efficiency. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven**: Tackle one of the hardest problems in AI infrastructure – optical connectivity at scale. - **On-Site Culture**: Roles are based in Santa Clara, CA (with an additional Berkeley office), fostering close collaboration among a tight-knit, highly technical team. - **Impact & Ownership**: Small team (~36 people) means engineers have broad responsibility and direct influence on product direction. - **Veteran Leadership**: Work alongside former Google, Bell Labs, and successful startup leaders who have raised over $100M and achieved multiple exits. - **Growth Trajectory**: Rapid headcount growth and significant venture backing signal a company in an aggressive scaling phase, offering career advancement opportunities. ## Sources 1. [LinkedIn – nEye Systems Company Page](https://linkedin.com/company/neye-systems) 2. [CB Insights – nEye Systems Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/neye-systems) 3. [nEye.ai About Us](https://www.neye.ai/about-us) 4. [nEye.ai Join Us / Careers](https://www.neye.ai/join-us) 5. [Lever Jobs – nEye Systems Openings](https://jobs.lever.co/neye-systems-inc) ## Other roles at nEye.ai - [Director, Mechanical Engineering](https://feeny.ai/job/director-mechanical-engineering-neye-ai-santa-clara-678vykj7v6rn) — Santa Clara, CA - [MEMS Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mems-process-engineer-neye-ai-emeryville-db7tynfwsqzc) — Emeryville, CA - [Senior Silicon Photonics Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-silicon-photonics-designer-neye-ai-santa-clara-eqqy2cje2bz7) — Santa Clara, CA - [Photonics Test Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/photonics-test-technician-neye-ai-santa-clara-5w5004d6mgd3) — Santa Clara, CA - [Senior Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-neye-ai-santa-clara-xk1zjs81pyr2) — Santa Clara, CA - [Principal Systems Packaging & Assembly Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-systems-packaging-assembly-engineer-neye-ai-santa-clara-mbmxte9kq10c) — Santa Clara, CA - [Principal Packaging Engineer, Optical Interfaces](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-packaging-engineer-optical-interfaces-neye-ai-santa-clara-r6c27ht76z0w) — Santa Clara, CA - [Principal Wafer Bonding Integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-wafer-bonding-integration-engineer-neye-ai-santa-clara-7q9fv5rjjgcs) — Santa Clara, CA - [Purchasing Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/purchasing-specialist-neye-ai-santa-clara-d7cs13xv9w7a) — Santa Clara, CA - [Lab Operations, Facilities and Equipment Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/lab-operations-facilities-and-equipment-manager-neye-ai-santa-clara-and-1qv3ypwcxjcm) — Santa Clara and Emeryville, CA