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Black Semiconductor

Graphene photonics enable optical chip interconnects

Package Reliability Engineer

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
No salary listed
Mid, Senior
Master's
Aachen, Germany
Hybrid
Hardware EngineeringHardware Validation & Testing

About the job

Requirements
  • A Master's degree or equivalent experience in Electrical Engineering, Microelectronics, Materials Science, Reliability Engineering, or a related field.
  • Three to five or more years of experience evaluating semiconductor package construction, including substrates, die attach, interconnects, and solder joints, and understanding associated failure mechanisms.
  • Understanding of high-speed I/O and RF reliability, including how reliability degradation affects high-speed serial, RF, and optical interfaces, such as signal integrity, insertion loss, jitter, and eye closure over product lifetime.
  • A solid foundation in reliability engineering, including FIT and MTBF calculations, mission profile development, acceleration models, and translating product use cases into measurable reliability requirements and targets.
  • Experience with industry qualification standards, including JEDEC, AEC-Q100/Q006, IPC, and IEC, and the judgment to apply knowledge-based qualification approaches when existing standards are insufficient.
  • Failure analysis expertise, including interpreting results from X-ray, C-SAM, cross-sectioning, and SEM/EDX, and translating findings into risk-based recommendations.
  • Experience collaborating with OSATs, substrate suppliers, and external laboratories, including defining technical reliability requirements, reviewing qualification data, and driving technical discussions to ensure robust evidence for product qualification.
  • Ability to communicate reliability risks, trade-offs, and evidence gaps clearly to architects, engineers, suppliers, and leadership.
  • Initiative, ownership, adaptability, and ability to make progress in a fast-paced, resource-conscious startup environment.
Responsibilities
  • Define product operating conditions, including temperature, voltage, humidity, thermal cycling, and lifetime requirements, and allocate FIT, MTBF, and lifetime targets across package, interconnect, and device-level contributors.
  • Evaluate package reliability risks across substrates, die attach, interconnects, solder joints, board attach, and optical/fiber interfaces, including delamination, warpage, fatigue, electromigration, and optical or electrical drift.
  • Define and execute package reliability qualification plans covering thermal, mechanical, environmental, and board-level stress testing in accordance with JEDEC, AEC-Q100/Q006, IPC, IEC, and customer-specific requirements.
  • Lead technical interfaces with OSATs, substrate suppliers, and laboratories by defining reliability requirements, reviewing data, and challenging results when supporting evidence is insufficient or unrepresentative.
  • Drive root-cause investigations and failure analysis using techniques such as X-ray, C-SAM, cross-sectioning, and SEM/EDX, and translate findings into CAPA/8D actions, design improvements, and requalification decisions.
  • Develop risk-based qualification strategies for novel packaging technologies, such as UBC and optical interconnects, where industry standards are incomplete or unavailable.
  • Assess product readiness for customer sampling, qualification milestones, or production release, and communicate remaining reliability risks in data-driven release recommendations.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with photonics reliability.

About the company

Black Semiconductor develops chips that combine graphene-based photonics with traditional electronics to enable optical chip-to-chip communication. Its process embeds optical components into the outer layers of CMOS-like chips, allowing electrons to be converted to photons and back via graphene acting as a translator. This integration aims to overcome interconnect bottlenecks, enabling multiple chips to act as a single faster, more energy-efficient system for AI hardware, data centers, HPC, and autonomous driving. The company plans wafer-scale fabrication with a 300mm FabONE in Aachen, targeting pilot production by 2027 and mass production by 2031, supported by European funding and equity investors.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$287.4M

Headquarters

Aachen, Germany

Founded

2020

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Critical Manufacturing started FabONE MES work in December 2025, signaling real construction progress.
  • RWTH Aachen honored Black Semiconductor on 5 September 2026, boosting local talent and partner credibility.
  • LinkedIn showed 141 employees in July 2026, indicating hiring momentum across process, packaging, and facilities.

What critics are saying

  • FabONE still lacks proven pilot production; one process failure delays 2027 output and 2031 volume.
  • €228.7 million public support ties survival to German and NRW budget discipline and IPCEI milestones.
  • Intel, Broadcom, and silicon-photonics incumbents can outspend Black Semiconductor before first revenues.

What makes Black Semiconductor unique

  • Black Semiconductor integrates graphene photonics and CMOS electronics on one wafer, not separate packages.
  • FabONE in Aachen targets the world’s first 300mm graphene photonic pilot fab.
  • Applied Nanolayers brought in-house graphene production, shortening its scaling path versus pure fabless rivals.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Flexible Work Hours
  • Stock Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-3%

2 year growth

4%
BISinfotech
Dec 2nd, 2025
Black Semiconductor Partners with Critical Manufacturing for FabONE Automation

Black Semiconductor partners with Critical Manufacturing for FabONE automation. FabONE facility leverages advanced MES and ai-enabled automation for next-generation graphene-based semiconductor production. Critical Manufacturing, a leading provider of Manufacturing Operations Platforms (MOP), has been chosen by Black Semiconductor GmbH to deliver the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and automation backbone for the company's new 300mm semiconductor wafer facility, FabONE, in Aachen. The state-of-the-art facility will scale Black Semiconductor's graphene-based chip interconnect technology into a mass-production environment, representing one of Europe's most ambitious semiconductor innovation projects. FabONE: A next-generation greenfield semiconductor fab. FabONE is a fully automated greenfield frontend fab, designed from the ground up for high-efficiency semiconductor production. Black Semiconductor conducted a competitive Request for Proposal (RfP) to select a partner capable of managing the complexities of a next-generation fab. Critical Manufacturing's proven expertise in automated frontend semiconductor facilities was a key factor in its selection. "FabONE represents a significant step for our technology enablement and for the European semiconductor ecosystem," said Samivel Krishnamoorthy, Senior Director of Fab Automation & Integration at Black Semiconductor. "Critical Manufacturing's complete MOM capabilities give us the foundation to achieve production maturity quickly, reliably, and at scale." Comprehensive MES and automation capabilities. Critical Manufacturing will provide a full suite of MES modules for FabONE, integrated with: * Equipment Integration (EI) via Connect IoT modules * Automated Material Handling System (AMHS) connectivity * ERP system integration * AI-enabled data platform for advanced analytics and decision-making Once operational, FabONE is designed to run with minimal operator intervention, enabling Black Semiconductor to validate process stability, demonstrate manufacturability, and progress toward volume production. Advancing European semiconductor innovation. For Critical Manufacturing, the FabONE project represents a major milestone in Europe. The company has extensive experience in automation frameworks for compound semiconductors and microelectronics, and FabONE showcases its readiness to support advanced 300mm frontend semiconductor manufacturing. "Graphene-based chip interconnects are a bold step for the industry," said Tom Bednarz, Managing Director at Critical Manufacturing Germany. "Turning that vision into a production-capable reality requires an MES that can keep pace with constant innovation. We are proud to support Black Semiconductor with a highly automated and adaptable platform." Driving data-driven, industry 4.0 manufacturing. The partnership highlights the growing importance of digital infrastructure in semiconductor competitiveness. By combining Critical Manufacturing's MES expertise with Black Semiconductor's cutting-edge technology, FabONE is positioned to become a cornerstone of next-generation semiconductor manufacturing in Europe, setting new standards for automation, efficiency, and scalability.

Hot Showbiz
May 12th, 2025
Black Semiconductor raises €254.4M for chips

Black Semiconductor has raised €254 million to develop graphene-based chips, providing a significant boost to the European semiconductor sector. The funding aims to support new hardware and software innovations, potentially creating new industries and niches. The European Space Agency (ESA) is also exploring new battery technologies for space missions, seeking alternatives to Russian plutonium. This development could enhance opportunities for European startups, particularly in markets like Dubai.

Hot Showbiz
May 3rd, 2025
Black Semiconductor raises €254.4M for chips

Black Semiconductor has raised €254 million for its graphene-based chips, providing a significant boost to the European semiconductor sector. The investment aims to enhance infrastructure, particularly in low-income urban and rural areas, and improve supply chains for clean industries. The initiative aligns with broader goals of promoting economic security, clean water, and environmental justice.

Black Semiconductor
Mar 28th, 2025
Press Release: Black Semiconductor acquires Applied Nanolayers

Black Semiconductor acquires material specialist Applied Nanolayers to accelerate technology development of energy-efficient, high-performance chip technology.

Black Semiconductor
Mar 28th, 2025
[Press Release] Black Semiconductor acquires material specialist Applied Nanolayers - Black Semiconductor

Black Semiconductor, a chip connectivity pioneer integrating photonics and electronics on the same wafer, has announced the acquisition of Applied Nanolayers (ANL).