Physical Design Engineer (2 - 3 years)

A "Physical Design Engineer" with 2-3 years of experience typically plays a foundational role in semiconductor companies, contributing to the physical implementation of integrated circuits (ICs) and ensuring their manufacturability and performance. The job description for this role typically includes the following responsibilities and qualifications:

Responsibilities:

1. Floorplanning: Assist in floorplanning activities to define the physical layout of ICs, including placement of standard cells, macros, and I/O pads.
2. Placement and Routing: Participate in placement and routing tasks using automated tools to optimize performance, power, and area (PPA) metrics.
3. Clock Tree Synthesis: Assist in clock tree synthesis (CTS) to ensure proper clock distribution and timing closure across the IC.
4. Power Grid Design: Contribute to power grid design and analysis to ensure robust power distribution and minimize voltage drop issues.
5. Physical Verification: Perform physical verification checks such as Design Rule Check (DRC) and Layout vs. Schematic (LVS) to ensure design compliance with foundry rules and design specifications.
6. Timing Closure: Work on timing closure tasks, including static timing analysis (STA), to meet timing constraints and achieve desired performance targets.
7. Design Optimization: Collaborate with design teams to optimize the physical design for area, power, and performance based on design requirements and constraints.
8. Documentation: Maintain documentation related to physical design methodologies, design constraints, implementation details, and verification results.

Qualifications:

1. Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field with a focus on VLSI design or semiconductor engineering.
2. Experience: 2-3 years of experience in physical design of ICs, including exposure to industry-standard EDA tools and methodologies.
3. EDA Tools: Familiarity with EDA tools such as Cadence Innovus, Synopsys ICC2, Mentor Calibre, etc., for floorplanning, placement, routing, and physical verification.
4. Programming Skills: Basic programming skills in languages such as Tcl, Perl, or Python for scripting and automation tasks related to physical design.
5. Design Principles: Understanding of IC design principles, including clock domain crossing (CDC), signal integrity (SI), and power integrity (PI) considerations.
6. Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively in a cross-functional team environment, communicate effectively, and contribute to project goals and timelines.
7. Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and resolve physical design issues, optimize designs, and meet project objectives.
8. Continuous Learning: Willingness to learn new tools, methodologies, and best practices in physical design to stay updated with industry trends and advancements.

Overall, a Physical Design Engineer with 2-3 years of experience plays a vital role in the physical implementation of ICs, working under the guidance of senior engineers and contributing to the success of semiconductor projects.