Senior Specialist, Senior Microelectronics Failure Analysis Engineer

L3

Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3

Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

L3

Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.

L3

Harris is seeking a Senior Specialist, Microelectronics Failure Analysis Engineer to investigate component failures and provide actionable insights that improve product quality and reliability. This role will lead investigations involving microelectronic components or circuit level assemblies that fail during manufacturing, qualification, testing, or field operation.

The engineer will develop investigative plans, perform hands-on electrical and physical analysis, and interpret evidence to identify failure mechanisms and establish root cause. Core techniques include optical microscopy, X-ray inspection, cross-sectioning, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoemission microscopy, electrical testing, decapsulation, and delayering.

This position requires strong technical judgment, laboratory proficiency, and the ability to communicate complex findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. The successful candidate will collaborate with design, manufacturing, quality, reliability, and supplier teams to recommend corrective actions and verify their effectiveness.

• Lead microelectronic failure investigations from initial assessment and test planning through root cause determination, reporting, and corrective action verification.
• Establish analysis strategies based on device construction, failure symptoms, operating history, and available evidence, sequencing techniques to preserve critical information.
• Use optical microscopy and X-ray inspection to evaluate component condition, package integrity, internal structures, and potential assembly defects.
• Perform electrical testing and characterization to reproduce reported failures, identify abnormal device behavior, and isolate suspect circuits or connections.
• Apply photoemission microscopy and liquid crystal hotspot detection to isolate leakage related phenomena on integrated circuits.
• Prepare samples through decapsulation, cross-sectioning, and controlled delayering to expose internal features while minimizing preparation-induced damage.
• Examine exposed structures using SEM to characterize defects in semiconductor devices, metallization, bond wires, interfaces, and package interconnects.
• Correlate electrical measurements, imaging results, physical observations, and manufacturing or field history to distinguish failure symptoms from underlying causes.
• Evaluate potential mechanisms such as electrical overstress, electrostatic discharge, corrosion, contamination, delamination, metallization damage, and interconnect fatigue.
• Partner with engineering, manufacturing, quality, reliability, and suppliers to translate investigation findings into practical design, material, or process improvements.
• Assess follow-up test results and analysis data to determine whether corrective actions address the identified failure mechanism.
• Produce clear technical reports that document methods, supporting evidence, conclusions, limitations, and recommended next steps.
• Present detailed findings to technical teams and provide concise, accessible summaries for program leadership, customers, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Manage concurrent investigations, communicate priorities and progress, and elevate technical risks or resource constraints.
• Develop and improve laboratory procedures, sample preparation methods, and analysis workflows.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to engineers and laboratory personnel.
• Maintain traceable investigation records and follow applicable laboratory safety, chemical…