My name is Ion, and I am working as a summer trainee at Murata Finland’s Failure Analysis team. I am currently studying materials science at Aalto University at a master’s level and plan on graduating in the summer of 2025. I would like to share my experiences and explain how this summer job supports my studies.

I started my studies in Greece at the National Technical University of Athens in the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, where I graduated as a diploma engineer specialized in materials science of metallic materials. I wanted to further explore what materials science has to offer and learn about semiconductors. This combined with the fact that I’m half Greek and half Finnish led me to Aalto. During my first year at Aalto in the functional materials master’s program, I focused heavily on semiconductors, thin films, and MEMS*. 

My first encounter with Murata was at the Design and Analysis of MEMS course, where part of the course was taught in collaboration with Murata and encompassed a company visit that piqued my interest. Thus, I decided to apply for a summer trainee position here. 

My work in the Failure Analysis team strongly aligns with my studies and has been a great steppingstone from theory to practice. I was already familiar with characterization techniques, such as optical microscopy and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), on a theoretical level but actually using the equipment daily is an experience university courses cannot replace.

My day to day as a Failure Analysis trainee involves probing MEMS sensor elements to get failure codes to identify possible issues, decapsulating elements for visual inspection and utilizing various imaging equipment such as microscopes to capture images of potential damage.

Initially, the job seemed quite challenging. A lot of new information to process and a new environment to familiarize myself with. However, with persistence and support from my team members who were exceptionally eager to help me, I quickly got the hang of it. This job offers a balance between routine inspections and more complex cases which keeps the work engaging.

This far, I have learned a lot and it feels good to see the progress I have made. By the end of this summer, I aim to gain a better understanding of Murata’s operations as a whole – from MEMS design to production processes. This will definitely help me to work more independently and effectively in my job and expand my expertise as a future professional in materials engineering.

Ion Lambrou
Summer Trainee

*MEMS = Micro-electromechanical systems