Defect Engineer

About This Role

• Job Overview As a Defect Engineer within the Wireless Semiconductor Division (WSD) at Broadcom Inc., you will play a critical role in identifying, analyzing, and minimizing defectivity within our FBAR filter fabrication process.
• Utilizing inline visual inspection and physical analysis data, you will separate killer from cosmetic defects, map out defect Paretos, and provide actionable insights to the cross-functional fab team.
• Your work directly minimizes yield loss and reliability failures downstream at wafer sort, assembly, test, and the end customer.
• In this role, you will collaborate with product development and backend assembly to characterize defects, define line partitioning and sampling strategies, and own the FBAR visual control plan.
• Key Responsibilities Defect Detection & Root Cause Analysis Establish Technology Baselines: Utilize advanced metrology and physical analysis data (SEM, TEM, AFM, FIB) to define baseline defectivity and establish Pareto's for new and existing technologies.
• Identify Source Failures: Pinpoint offending tools, processes, or facility infrastructure driving defect excursions.
• Excursion Containment: Initiate corrective actions (PDCA, 8D), place underperforming tools down, and issue material containment for non-conforming or out-of-control (OOC) material.
• Lab Characterization: Partner with the Physical Analysis Lab (PAL) and bench testing teams to submit jobs and successfully characterize unique defect signatures.
• Process Improvement: Partner with integration and process engineers to improve defect performance and identify new defects on emerging process nodes.
• Controls, Strategy & Line Monitoring Own the Visual Control Plan: Define line partitioning, monitoring, and sampling strategies using Klarity and Statistical Process Control (SPC) to maintain stringent fab defect controls.
• Author OCAPs: Write and maintain Out-of-Control Action Plans (OCAPs) to establish standard operational responses to defect shifts.
• Material Disposition: Act as the primary engineering escalation point to disposition OOC material that falls beyond the scope of engineering technicians.
• Identify and characterize novel defect modes through detect, contain, eliminate procedure.
• Team Leadership & Culture Lead Task Forces: Facilitate and lead cross-functional engineering teams investigating complex trend shifts and high-volume defectivity issues.
• Lead model building activities to hypothesize and validate root causes of defectivity.
• Train and Mentor: Train operations staff on material disposition and mentor engineering technicians in advanced defect identification and characterization techniques.
• Quality First Mindset: Actively drive a low-defect, "quality before speed and cost" culture across the entire fab footprint.
• Required Skills & Qualifications Education: BS in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or a related engineering field.
• Experience: 8+ years of experience in high-volume wafer fabrication, specifically within process engineering, defect engineering, or yield enhancement.
• Technical Expertise: Strong working knowledge of multiple semiconductor fabrication process modules (e.g., photo, etch, deposition, CMP, test).
• Direct expertise with Klarity defect analysis software and Statistical Process Control (SPC).
• Advanced proficiency using JMP for statistical data analysis and engineering problem-solving.
• Leadership & Drive: Proven track record of independently facilitating cross-functional teams to resolve highly complex manufacturing problems.
• Communication: Demonstrated ability to communicate technical data clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing, to audiences ranging from cleanroom operators to fab executives.
• Soft Skills: Detail-oriented multitasker with strong self-awareness—knows when and who to ask for cross-functional help.
• Preferred Skills & Qualifications Education: MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or a related field.
• Experience: 12+ years of experience in high-volume semiconductor manufacturing.
• Advanced Material Analytics: Direct hands-on tracking and root-cause identification using physical analysis lab (PAL) tool outputs (SEM, TEM, AFM, FIB).
• Data Automation & Programming: Proficiency in programming languages (e.g., Python, SQL) to query large defect databases, automate reporting, and execute trend analysis.
• Experience with Python data structures (Pandas/NumPy), spatial math, geometric logic, and parsing raw file formats (such as .klarf files).
• Data Visualization: Experience developing automated Spotfire data links and interactive dashboards optimized for a production wafer manufacturing environment.
• Advanced Automation & AI: Practical experience with defect data automation, automatic defect detection/classification (ADC) software, or implementing AI models for wafer map pattern recognition.
• Other Requirements Strict adherence to cleanroom protocols, contamination controls, and fab safety standards.
• Additional Job Description: Compensation and Benefits The annual base salary range for this position is $109,700 - $175,500.
• This position is also eligible for a discretionary annual bonus in accordance with relevant plan documents, and equity in accordance with equity plan documents and equity award agreements.
• Broadcom offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package: Medical, dental and vision plans, 401(K) participation including company matching, Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), company paid holidays, paid sick leave and vacation time.
• The company follows all applicable laws for Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence.
• We will also consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records consistent with local law.
• If you are located outside USA, please be sure to fill out a home address as this will be used for future correspondence.