About the job

Are you a hands‑on student with an interest in advanced imaging tools and image analysis? Are you eager to gain experience in cutting-edge technology and work alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry? We are looking for a motivated student to join our failure analysis team through a summer internship in 2026, with a possible continuation in a master’s thesis project for the academic year 2026/2027.

At the FA lab, we work hands‑on with state-of-the-art analysis tools to identify and understand the root cause of damage and defects in our microchips, in close collaboration with design and test engineers. We have a fully equipped lab at Nordic’s headquarters in Trondheim. Watch this video on YouTube to get an insight into our daily work.

About the Position

Microchips soldered onto PCBs are reliability stressed using temperature cycling, shocks, bending, and vibration. After stress, physical cross-sectioning is used to study crack formation in solder joints and the microchip. 3D X‑ray tomography has been proposed as an alternative method to analyze the cracks. As of today, this method is time‑consuming and has limited value as a basis for decision‑making.

The goal of this position is to optimize X‑ray analysis of cracks in solder joints, focusing on image quality and throughput. The collected data will be used in a master’s thesis focusing on automatic image analysis using image recognition and machine learning. We are looking for strong candidates for both the summer internship and the master’s thesis project.

Tasks

• Optimization of parameters for efficient 3D X‑ray tomography of PCBs

• Design and production of a setup for efficient analysis, likely using 3D printing

• Documentation of findings and reporting

Who are we looking for?

• 4th‑year student in physics, computer engineering, electronics and systems design, nanotechnology, or a related field

• Strong interest in hands‑on work and the use of analysis tools

• Basic understanding of X‑ray radiation

• Good analytical skills and a structured working style

• Good communication skills, both written and oral, in Norwegian and English

Working for Nordic

Working at Nordic, you will be inspired and supported to develop yourself. Our teams enjoy a professional and informal working environment. We value and encourage the continuous development of skills and expertise to the highest levels. We are proud of our Norwegian heritage, our highly skilled international workforce, and our world-leading innovation.

We offer a variety of tasks and projects, and the possibility to work alongside some of the world’s most renowned experts within their field. We encourage our employees to question the established and innovate while expecting professionalism, commitment, and the will to learn.   

What we offer

• An exciting summer job with professional challenges

• The possibility to continue working with the results from the summer job in a master’s thesis

• The chance to learn from experienced professionals

• A pleasant and inclusive working environment

Practical details

• Location: Trondheim, Norway

• Start and end dates for the summer job will be agreed with the lab manager.

• We encourage all interested candidates to apply, regardless of whether a combined master’s thesis is relevant. You can find the master’s thesis at …

For more information about the position, contact Thomas Brakstad (technical contact) at thomas.brakstad@nordicsemi.no or Ida Noddeland (lab manager) at Ida.Noddeland@nordicsemi.no.

Please note that this position might be subject to a background check.