MT
SMTS Physical Design Engineer
Accepting applicationsMicron Technology · San Jose, CA
Full-Time Mid_senior AIATPGCadenceCalibreDFT
Posted
7 May
Category
Test
Experience
Mid_senior
Country
United States
Our vision is to transform how the world uses information to enrich life for all.
Micron Technology is a world leader in innovating memory and storage solutions that accelerate the transformation of information into intelligence, inspiring the world to learn, communicate and advance faster than ever.
Micron's Interface Pathfinding team operates at the leading edge of that mission — driving performance-scaling innovation across circuits, signaling, packaging, and interconnects with a 3–5 year technology horizon. As the Physical Design Engineer, you will own the complete back-end implementation of a high-speed interface chip program — from synthesis netlist through GDSII tape-out. This is a full-flow PD role on a small, senior team spanning analog design, layout, silicon characterization, digital design, and verification — united around the goal of carrying high-speed interface innovations from architecture to tape-out.
You will be the primary PD voice, working closely with the Chip Lead on timing and constraints, with the analog team on mixed-signal floorplanning considerations, and with the verification team on DFT and scan implementation. The program includes contractor support that will grow as the program scales, but the expectation is that you can drive implementation decisions independently, leverage available resources effectively, and know when to engage the broader team.
The ideal candidate brings not just technical depth but creative problem-solving ability — the capacity to find non-obvious paths to closure when standard approaches don't apply cleanly to a mixed-signal PHY environment. This is a foundational hire for a growing program, and strong execution early is expected to lead to follow-on projects of increasing scope, team size, and PD complexity.
Responsibilities
Floorplanning: Define and implement full chip floorplans in close collaboration with the analog design team — including custom analog block placement, analog/digital partitioning, I/O ring architecture, power domain definition, and block-level area allocation.
Power Planning: Design and implement the chip power distribution network (PDN); coordinate with the analog team on analog supply isolation, guard ring placement, and substrate noise considerations.
Place & Route: Execute full-chip place-and-route (Cadence Innovus) from synthesized netlist through routed and optimized database across all required corners and modes.
Timing Closure: Own static timing analysis (Cadence Tempus) across all PVT corners and modes; identify and resolve timing violations through ECO, placement, and routing optimization; coordinate with the Chip Lead on constraint refinement.
Power Integrity: Perform IR drop and electromigration analysis (Cadence Voltus or equivalent); identify and resolve PDN weaknesses.
Physical Verification Sign-off: Execute and close DRC, LVS, and ERC to foundry-clean status using Mentor Calibre; manage waiver process for any non-cleanable violations.
DFT Integration: Implement scan chain insertion and work with the Chip Lead on ATPG pattern generation and test coverage targets.
Foundry Coordination: Interface with foundry on PDK questions, fill rule implementation, and tape-out submission requirements.
Documentation: Maintain PD methodology documentation, floorplan rationale records, and ECO history to support program continuity and follow-on chip development.
Basic Qualifications
BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field
8–15 years of physical design experience with at least one complete front-to-back tape-out as the primary or lead PD engineer
Hands-on proficiency with Cadence Innovus for place-and-route — comfortable navigating complex placement constraints, congestion-driven routing, and post-route optimization without step-by-step guidance
Hands-on proficiency with Cadence Tempus for static timing analysis including MMMC setup, OCV/AOCV analysis, and ECO-driven timing closure
Hands-on proficiency with Mentor Calibre for DRC, LVS, and ERC sign-off
Experience placing and integrating hard macros (analog PHY blocks, memory compilers, I/O cells) within a constrained mixed-signal floorplan
Demonstrated ability to take broad ownership and drive to closure — comfortable leading implementation decisions, working across disciplines, and managing priorities without a large supporting PD organization
Strong debugging and root-cause analysis skills — the ability to look at a failing DRC deck, a congested routing region, or a timing path that doesn't respond to standard approaches and find a path forward
Ability to communicate clearly with non-PD engineers — Chip Lead, analog designers, and DV engineers — about physical implementation constraints and their design implications
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with mixed-signal or analog-adjacent chip physical design — including analog supply domain implementation, substrate isolation techniques, and analog/digital floor separation
Familiarity with high-speed I/O pad ring design for differential full-duplex interfaces
Experience with power domain implementation using UPF/CPF for multi-voltage PHY designs
Proficiency with Cadence Voltus or Apache Redhawk for power integrity analysis
Familiarity with Synopsys IC Compiler 2 (ICC2) as an alternative P&R environment
Experience with signoff ECO flows — functional and metal-only ECOs post-tape-out
Prior experience carrying primary PD responsibility on a chip or significant subsystem — candidates who have navigated the full implementation flow in a lead capacity and found it energizing are strongly preferred
The US base salary range that Micron Technology estimates it could pay for this full-time position is:
$178,000.00 - $389,000.00 a year
Additional Compensation May Include Benefits, Bonuses And Equity.
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target base pay for new hire salaries of the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional job-related factors, including knowledge, skills, experience, tenure and relevant education or training. The pay scale is subject to change depending on business needs. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.
As a world leader in the semiconductor industry, Micron is dedicated to your personal wellbeing and professional growth. Micron benefits are designed to help you stay well, provide peace of mind and help you prepare for the future. We offer a choice of medical, dental and vision plans in all locations enabling team members to select the plans that best meet their family healthcare needs and budget. Micron also provides benefit programs that help protect your income if you are unable to work due to illness or injury, and paid family leave. Additionally, Micron benefits include a robust paid time-off program and paid holidays. For additional information regarding the Benefit programs available, please see the Benefits Guide posted on micron.com/careers/benefits.
Micron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
To learn about your right to work click here.
To learn more about Micron, please visit micron.com/careers
US Sites Only: To request assistance with the application process and/or for reasonable accommodations, please contact Micron’s People Organization at hrsupport_na@micron.com or 1-800-336-8918 (select option #3)
Micron Prohibits the use of child labor and complies with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and other international and industry labor standards.
Micron does not charge candidates any recruitment fees or unlawfully collect any other payment from candidates as consideration for their employment with Micron.
AI alert: Candidates are encouraged to use AI tools to enhance their resume and/or application materials. However, all information provided must be accurate and reflect the candidate's true skills and experiences. Misuse of AI to fabricate or misrepresent qualifications will result in immediate disqualification.
Fraud alert: Micron advises job seekers to be cautious of unsolicited job offers and to verify the authenticity of any communication claiming to be from Micron by checking the official Micron careers website in the About Micron Technology, Inc.
Show more Show less
Micron Technology is a world leader in innovating memory and storage solutions that accelerate the transformation of information into intelligence, inspiring the world to learn, communicate and advance faster than ever.
Micron's Interface Pathfinding team operates at the leading edge of that mission — driving performance-scaling innovation across circuits, signaling, packaging, and interconnects with a 3–5 year technology horizon. As the Physical Design Engineer, you will own the complete back-end implementation of a high-speed interface chip program — from synthesis netlist through GDSII tape-out. This is a full-flow PD role on a small, senior team spanning analog design, layout, silicon characterization, digital design, and verification — united around the goal of carrying high-speed interface innovations from architecture to tape-out.
You will be the primary PD voice, working closely with the Chip Lead on timing and constraints, with the analog team on mixed-signal floorplanning considerations, and with the verification team on DFT and scan implementation. The program includes contractor support that will grow as the program scales, but the expectation is that you can drive implementation decisions independently, leverage available resources effectively, and know when to engage the broader team.
The ideal candidate brings not just technical depth but creative problem-solving ability — the capacity to find non-obvious paths to closure when standard approaches don't apply cleanly to a mixed-signal PHY environment. This is a foundational hire for a growing program, and strong execution early is expected to lead to follow-on projects of increasing scope, team size, and PD complexity.
Responsibilities
Floorplanning: Define and implement full chip floorplans in close collaboration with the analog design team — including custom analog block placement, analog/digital partitioning, I/O ring architecture, power domain definition, and block-level area allocation.
Power Planning: Design and implement the chip power distribution network (PDN); coordinate with the analog team on analog supply isolation, guard ring placement, and substrate noise considerations.
Place & Route: Execute full-chip place-and-route (Cadence Innovus) from synthesized netlist through routed and optimized database across all required corners and modes.
Timing Closure: Own static timing analysis (Cadence Tempus) across all PVT corners and modes; identify and resolve timing violations through ECO, placement, and routing optimization; coordinate with the Chip Lead on constraint refinement.
Power Integrity: Perform IR drop and electromigration analysis (Cadence Voltus or equivalent); identify and resolve PDN weaknesses.
Physical Verification Sign-off: Execute and close DRC, LVS, and ERC to foundry-clean status using Mentor Calibre; manage waiver process for any non-cleanable violations.
DFT Integration: Implement scan chain insertion and work with the Chip Lead on ATPG pattern generation and test coverage targets.
Foundry Coordination: Interface with foundry on PDK questions, fill rule implementation, and tape-out submission requirements.
Documentation: Maintain PD methodology documentation, floorplan rationale records, and ECO history to support program continuity and follow-on chip development.
Basic Qualifications
BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field
8–15 years of physical design experience with at least one complete front-to-back tape-out as the primary or lead PD engineer
Hands-on proficiency with Cadence Innovus for place-and-route — comfortable navigating complex placement constraints, congestion-driven routing, and post-route optimization without step-by-step guidance
Hands-on proficiency with Cadence Tempus for static timing analysis including MMMC setup, OCV/AOCV analysis, and ECO-driven timing closure
Hands-on proficiency with Mentor Calibre for DRC, LVS, and ERC sign-off
Experience placing and integrating hard macros (analog PHY blocks, memory compilers, I/O cells) within a constrained mixed-signal floorplan
Demonstrated ability to take broad ownership and drive to closure — comfortable leading implementation decisions, working across disciplines, and managing priorities without a large supporting PD organization
Strong debugging and root-cause analysis skills — the ability to look at a failing DRC deck, a congested routing region, or a timing path that doesn't respond to standard approaches and find a path forward
Ability to communicate clearly with non-PD engineers — Chip Lead, analog designers, and DV engineers — about physical implementation constraints and their design implications
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with mixed-signal or analog-adjacent chip physical design — including analog supply domain implementation, substrate isolation techniques, and analog/digital floor separation
Familiarity with high-speed I/O pad ring design for differential full-duplex interfaces
Experience with power domain implementation using UPF/CPF for multi-voltage PHY designs
Proficiency with Cadence Voltus or Apache Redhawk for power integrity analysis
Familiarity with Synopsys IC Compiler 2 (ICC2) as an alternative P&R environment
Experience with signoff ECO flows — functional and metal-only ECOs post-tape-out
Prior experience carrying primary PD responsibility on a chip or significant subsystem — candidates who have navigated the full implementation flow in a lead capacity and found it energizing are strongly preferred
The US base salary range that Micron Technology estimates it could pay for this full-time position is:
$178,000.00 - $389,000.00 a year
Additional Compensation May Include Benefits, Bonuses And Equity.
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target base pay for new hire salaries of the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional job-related factors, including knowledge, skills, experience, tenure and relevant education or training. The pay scale is subject to change depending on business needs. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.
As a world leader in the semiconductor industry, Micron is dedicated to your personal wellbeing and professional growth. Micron benefits are designed to help you stay well, provide peace of mind and help you prepare for the future. We offer a choice of medical, dental and vision plans in all locations enabling team members to select the plans that best meet their family healthcare needs and budget. Micron also provides benefit programs that help protect your income if you are unable to work due to illness or injury, and paid family leave. Additionally, Micron benefits include a robust paid time-off program and paid holidays. For additional information regarding the Benefit programs available, please see the Benefits Guide posted on micron.com/careers/benefits.
Micron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
To learn about your right to work click here.
To learn more about Micron, please visit micron.com/careers
US Sites Only: To request assistance with the application process and/or for reasonable accommodations, please contact Micron’s People Organization at hrsupport_na@micron.com or 1-800-336-8918 (select option #3)
Micron Prohibits the use of child labor and complies with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and other international and industry labor standards.
Micron does not charge candidates any recruitment fees or unlawfully collect any other payment from candidates as consideration for their employment with Micron.
AI alert: Candidates are encouraged to use AI tools to enhance their resume and/or application materials. However, all information provided must be accurate and reflect the candidate's true skills and experiences. Misuse of AI to fabricate or misrepresent qualifications will result in immediate disqualification.
Fraud alert: Micron advises job seekers to be cautious of unsolicited job offers and to verify the authenticity of any communication claiming to be from Micron by checking the official Micron careers website in the About Micron Technology, Inc.
Show more Show less