Intrinsic Reliability Engineer

Tata Electronics Pvt. Ltd. is a prominent global player in the electronics manufacturing industry, with fast-emerging capabilities in Electronics Manufacturing Services, Semiconductor Assembly & Test, Semiconductor Foundry, and Design Services. Established in 2020 as a greenfield venture of the Tata Group, the company aims to serve global customers through integrated offerings across a trusted electronics and semiconductor value chain.

Job Summary

We are seeking an Experienced Intrinsic FEOL (Front End of Line) Reliability Engineer to drive reliability engineering activities essential for ensuring the long-term performance and robustness of advanced semiconductor devices manufactured at our world-class foundry in Dholera, Gujarat. This role is pivotal in establishing our fab’s reputation for delivering highly reliable, quality products for the most demanding applications.

The successful candidate will work closely with device engineering, process integration, module engineering, and quality teams to develop, execute, and monitor intrinsic FEOL reliability programs, ensuring compliance with industry standards and customer requirements. Early phases will involve technology qualification and fab ramp-up, transitioning to sustaining and continuous improvement over time.

Key Responsibilities

Intrinsic FEOL Reliability Program Development

• Define, develop, and implement intrinsic reliability strategies, design of test structures and test plans for FEOL process technologies across multiple technology nodes (sub-micron, nanometer, etc.).
• Establish and drive FEOL reliability stress methodologies and process qualifications for mechanisms such as:
• TDDB (Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown)
• NBTI/PBTI (Negative/Positive Bias Temperature Instability)
• HCI (Hot Carrier Injection)
• BTI (Bias Temperature Instability)
• SILC (Stress Induced Leakage Current)
• Charge trapping, oxide breakdown, and other FEOL-specific wear-out mechanisms
• Collaborate with R&D, device, and process integration teams to design accelerated stress tests and predictive reliability models for FEOL failure mechanisms.

Reliability Stress Testing and Monitoring

• Plan, execute, and monitor FEOL intrinsic reliability tests during technology development, transfer, qualification, and production ramp.
• Develop/transfer test structures (e.g., gate oxide test vehicles, ring oscillators, comb/serpentine, MOS capacitors) and implement them for ongoing process/product reliability monitoring (PRM/ORM) programs post-production ramp.
• Analyze FEOL reliability test results using advanced statistical methods (Weibull, log-normal, Arrhenius modeling, etc.) and provide technical interpretations and recommendations.
• Build, maintain, and improve the fab-wide FEOL reliability database and reporting systems, developing PRM programs to regularly communicate data to customers.

Failure Analysis and Root Cause Identification

• Lead or support failure analysis (FA) investigations for FEOL-related reliability issues.
• Drive root cause analysis (RCA) and implement Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) in collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Standards Compliance and Continuous Improvement

• Ensure compliance with JEDEC, AEC-Q100, JEITA, and other applicable standards for FEOL reliability testing and qualification.
• Develop and document Best Known Methods (BKMs) for FEOL reliability assessment and continuously improve methodologies.
• Contribute to establishing and certifying fab-wide Quality and Reliability Management Systems (e.g., ISO, IATF).

Cross-functional Collaboration and Risk Management

• Work closely with process, device, integration, metrology, and manufacturing teams to ensure reliability is embedded across the product lifecycle.
• Participate in Design for Reliability (DfR) initiatives to proactively identify and mitigate FEOL reliability risks.
• Work with process and yield teams to define and correlate Reliability Defect Density with Yield Defect Density.
• Support customer engagements, technical audits, and reliability reporting to internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications & Experience

Experience:

• 5-10 years of experience in semiconductor device reliability, FEOL reliability engineering, or device physics.
• Solid understanding of CMOS, HV, RF, and/or power device (BCD, PMIC) technologies is highly preferred.
• Hands-on experience in setting up and executing FEOL reliability stress tests and analyzing time-dependent failures.
• Experience with fab operations, process/product qualification, and reliability monitoring programs.
• Experience in handling reliability-related PCRB (Process Change Review), MRB (Material Review), PECN, TECN, etc.

Skills:

• Deep understanding of FEOL reliability mechanisms: TDDB, NBTI/PBTI, HCI, SILC, PID, charge trapping, oxide breakdown, etc.
• Expertise with reliability test tools and systems (e.g., Agilent/Keysight B1500/B1530, Keithley, custom wafer-level stress test equipment, etc.).
• Proficient in statistical data analysis tools (e.g., JMP, Minitab) and reliability modeling techniques, reliability progression and regression analysis.
• Knowledge of JEDEC (JESD22, JESD47), AEC-Q100, MIL-STD guidelines, and FEOL reliability requirements for consumer, industrial, automotive, and military/defense applications.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach.
• Excellent communication and technical writing skills to collaborate across teams and document findings.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with a proactive and ownership-driven mindset.

If you are passionate about building the next generation of highly reliable and robust semiconductor processes and want to shape India’s first world-class semiconductor foundry, we invite you to apply and join our pioneering journey of innovation and excellence.