Reliability Engineer

Job Summary

The Reliability Engineer is responsible for ensuring the long-term performance, robustness, and durability of ultrafast (picosecond/femtosecond) and UV laser systems. This role focuses on reliability modeling, lifetime testing, failure analysis, and continuous improvement of laser modules, nonlinear conversion stages, optical components, electronics, and packaging.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement reliability plans for ultrafast and UV laser products.
• Define reliability requirements and qualification criteria based on customer requirements and industry standards.
• Perform reliability allocation and prediction (MTBF, FIT rate analysis).
• Develop reliability growth plans and tracking metrics.
• Design and execute accelerated life tests (ALT, HALT, HASS).
• Conduct environmental testing (thermal cycling, humidity, vibration, shock).
• Develop stress screening procedures for optical, electronic, and optomechanical assemblies.
• Establish degradation monitoring protocols.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for field returns and production failures.
• Perform detailed failure analysis on:
• UV-induced optical degradation
• Coverage damage and contamination
• Thermal lensing and beam distortion
• Nonlinear crystal degradation
• High-voltage electronics failures
• Apply structured methodologies (FMEA, 8D, Fishbone, Weibull analysis).
• Work with suppliers to address component-level reliability issues.
• Design for Reliability (DfR).
• Collaborate with R&D during product development to improve:
• Thermal management
• Mechanical stability
• UV optical lifetime
• Nonlinear conversion efficiency stability
• Conduct FMEA reviews for new designs.
• Recommend material and component upgrades to extend lifetime.
• Analyze field and test data using statistical tools.
• Build predictive degradation models for UV optics and ultrafast components.
• Maintain reliability databases and dashboards.
• Support field service teams in diagnosing complex failures.
• Analyze warranty trends and customer feedback.
• Provide technical reports on reliability performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 3–8+ years of experience in reliability engineering or laser/optical systems.
• Experience with:
• Ultrafast lasers (ps/fs fiber or solid-state)
• UV laser systems and frequency conversion stages
• Optical coatings and nonlinear crystals
• Strong understanding of:
• Laser physics and nonlinear optics
• Thermal and mechanical stability in precision systems
• High-power diode reliability
• Experience with reliability analysis tools (Weibull, Minitab, JMP, ReliaSoft, etc.).
• Familiarity with HALT/HASS methodologies.
• Strong root cause analysis skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with industrial laser systems (micromachining, semiconductor, medical).
• Knowledge of UV-induced material degradation mechanisms.
• Understanding of contamination control in UV systems.
• Experience with cleanroom processes.
• Six Sigma or Reliability Engineering certification (CRE).

Key Competencies

• Analytical thinking and structured problem solving
• Strong cross-functional communication
• Detail-oriented with systems-level perspective
• Hands-on troubleshooting capability
• Data-driven decision making

Performance Metrics

• Reduction in field failure rate
• MTBF improvement
• Warranty cost reduction
• Success rate and effectiveness of RCAs