Acro Service Corp
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit Designer
Acro Service Corp, Baltimore, Maryland, United States,
Principal or Sr. Principal Custom IC Layout Job DescriptionNorthrop Grumman, Mission Systems is seeking a candidate for the position of Principal or Sr. Principal Custom IC Layout Engineer in the Hardware Synergy Electrical Design and Integrated Circuit (EDIC) organization. The position is based on-site out of our Morrisville NC, Rolling Meadows IL, or Baltimore, MD location. The opportunity for virtual work-from-home (either or, both) work may be extended to the right candidate but would be bounded by domicile proximity to the three base locations with the agreement to work on-site if asked.
Here at Northrop Grumman, we design, manufacture, and test semiconductor products for internal and commercial production and emerging programs. The ideal candidate must have exceptional layout skills using Cadence Virtuoso XL and be comfortable at all levels of hierarchy, including chip-level. The developmental nature of our foundry activities will provide a willing candidate the opportunity to develop into an integral member of the foundry organization.Responsibilities include:• Creating and verifying hierarchical mixed-signal layouts of chips or circuits such as ADCs, DACs, PLLs, Band Gaps, Voltage Regulators, etc. with guidance from circuit designers.• Strong communication skills and understanding how layout impacts circuit performance are a must.• Interpreting results from layout verification tools such as Calibre DRC/LVS or Cadence Assura/PVS.• Creating/reviewing/analyzing/modifying floor plans drawn from the top-down perspective.• Creating staffing plans and schedule estimates for layout related tasks.• Delivering verified layout on-time according to plan.• Participate in reticle composition and/or support of tape-out activities.• Create and document flows for future re-use and quality control.Basic Qualifications:• Ability to obtain a Security Clearance from the U.S. Department of Defense.• Principal: Minimum of an associate’s degree in a relevant field with 8 years of relevant experience or 5 years with a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field.• Sr. Principal: Minimum of associate’s degree in a relevant field with 12 years of relevant experience or 9 years with a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.• Experience laying out custom analog/custom digital/custom RF cells as a top level lead.• Proficient in floor planning especially top-down, area optimization, and handling critical devices and signals with the proper care.• Demonstrated expertise creating a floorplan of a complete IC to minimize parasitic issues related to layout and packaging.• Demonstrated expertise developing high quality layouts for complex Analog and Mixed Signal (“AMS”) designs using Cadence Virtuoso XL/GXL.• Considerable experience using Cadence Layout XL (a power user) to do full custom layout of complete mixed signal ICs and/or test structures.• Solid debugging skills of results generated by industry standard layout verification tools.• Demonstrated expertise isolating critical analog blocks from noisy sources through layout noise-coupling suppression techniques.• Solid knowledge of how to address EM/IR issues, prevent latch-up, mitigate ESD, and ensure component and signal path matching.• High attention to detail and ability to deliver verified and optimized layout quickly.• Ability to distinguish between devices and nets in a schematic that need to be handled with care vs. those that do not.• Strong interpersonal and team skills for cross-functional collaboration and the ability to work independently.Advantageous Qualifications:• Knowledge of semiconductor device physics, process development, analog/mixed signal integrated circuit design, manufacturing, and testing,• Experience using SKILL, Perl, C-Shell, and/or Python to increase layout productivity.• Experience using Cadence Virtuoso's other advanced features (GXL, EAD, and Constraint Manager).• Experience in deep submicron CMOS circuits with finFETs and dual patterning.• Technical understanding of IR drop, RC delay, electro-migration, self-heating, and coupling capacitance.Comments for Suppliers:Cadence Virtuoso and experience in Cadence Layout XL required.
Here at Northrop Grumman, we design, manufacture, and test semiconductor products for internal and commercial production and emerging programs. The ideal candidate must have exceptional layout skills using Cadence Virtuoso XL and be comfortable at all levels of hierarchy, including chip-level. The developmental nature of our foundry activities will provide a willing candidate the opportunity to develop into an integral member of the foundry organization.Responsibilities include:• Creating and verifying hierarchical mixed-signal layouts of chips or circuits such as ADCs, DACs, PLLs, Band Gaps, Voltage Regulators, etc. with guidance from circuit designers.• Strong communication skills and understanding how layout impacts circuit performance are a must.• Interpreting results from layout verification tools such as Calibre DRC/LVS or Cadence Assura/PVS.• Creating/reviewing/analyzing/modifying floor plans drawn from the top-down perspective.• Creating staffing plans and schedule estimates for layout related tasks.• Delivering verified layout on-time according to plan.• Participate in reticle composition and/or support of tape-out activities.• Create and document flows for future re-use and quality control.Basic Qualifications:• Ability to obtain a Security Clearance from the U.S. Department of Defense.• Principal: Minimum of an associate’s degree in a relevant field with 8 years of relevant experience or 5 years with a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field.• Sr. Principal: Minimum of associate’s degree in a relevant field with 12 years of relevant experience or 9 years with a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.• Experience laying out custom analog/custom digital/custom RF cells as a top level lead.• Proficient in floor planning especially top-down, area optimization, and handling critical devices and signals with the proper care.• Demonstrated expertise creating a floorplan of a complete IC to minimize parasitic issues related to layout and packaging.• Demonstrated expertise developing high quality layouts for complex Analog and Mixed Signal (“AMS”) designs using Cadence Virtuoso XL/GXL.• Considerable experience using Cadence Layout XL (a power user) to do full custom layout of complete mixed signal ICs and/or test structures.• Solid debugging skills of results generated by industry standard layout verification tools.• Demonstrated expertise isolating critical analog blocks from noisy sources through layout noise-coupling suppression techniques.• Solid knowledge of how to address EM/IR issues, prevent latch-up, mitigate ESD, and ensure component and signal path matching.• High attention to detail and ability to deliver verified and optimized layout quickly.• Ability to distinguish between devices and nets in a schematic that need to be handled with care vs. those that do not.• Strong interpersonal and team skills for cross-functional collaboration and the ability to work independently.Advantageous Qualifications:• Knowledge of semiconductor device physics, process development, analog/mixed signal integrated circuit design, manufacturing, and testing,• Experience using SKILL, Perl, C-Shell, and/or Python to increase layout productivity.• Experience using Cadence Virtuoso's other advanced features (GXL, EAD, and Constraint Manager).• Experience in deep submicron CMOS circuits with finFETs and dual patterning.• Technical understanding of IR drop, RC delay, electro-migration, self-heating, and coupling capacitance.Comments for Suppliers:Cadence Virtuoso and experience in Cadence Layout XL required.