Digital Physical Design Engineer

Job Title

Digital Physical Design Engineer

Role Summary

Performs physical design and verification for digital semiconductor products, delivering chip layout, timing closure, and manufacturable GDSII implementations. Works with product and test teams to implement, test, and validate designs using EDA toolflows.

Part of a digital/physical design team focused on VLSI/CMOS implementation, timing analysis, and yield improvement for production ASICs.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Years of experience not specified.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include physical design, verification, and supporting production to meet specifications.

• Create and modify chip layout and circuit implementations; perform circuit checking and document specifications.
• Execute RTL-to-GDSII flow: synthesis, place-and-route, clock-tree synthesis, and timing closure.
• Perform static timing analysis and timing closure activities; run power and reliability analyses.
• Use EDA tools to implement design flows, configure tool scripts, and automate tasks.
• Investigate yield and failure analysis; redesign or modify devices to meet requirements.
• Collaborate with customers and cross-functional teams on design status, testing, and technical issues.
• Monitor production to ensure conformance with design specifications and standards.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and hands-on tool experience.

• Proficiency with physical design and verification tools: Cadence Innovus & Tempus, Synopsys Fusion Compiler, PrimeTime, RedHawk, and Siemens Calibre.
• Practical experience with RTL-to-GDSII flow including synthesis, place-and-route (PnR), clock-tree synthesis (CTS), and timing closure.
• Strong Verilog skills and experience using Synopsys VCS for simulation.
• Ability to script and automate EDA tools using TCL or similar languages.
• Experience performing static timing analysis and power/reliability signoff.
• Hands-on experience with CMOS and VLSI circuit design and physical implementation.

Education Requirements

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or Computer Engineering (or related fields such as VLSI or Physics), or foreign equivalent. Requirement includes completion of a graduate-level course, research project, internship, or thesis covering topics such as CAD algorithms, VLSI/CMOS circuits, RTL-to-GDSII flow, static timing analysis, and use of relevant EDA tools.

About the Company

Company: NXP Semiconductors

Headquarters: Nijmegen, Netherlands

NXP Semiconductors N.V. is a global semiconductor company that provides High Performance Mixed Signal and Standard Product solutions. With over 45,000 employees and operations in more than 35 countries, NXP is a leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, catering to automotive, industrial IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets. The company is committed to innovation and sustainability, advancing a smarter, safer, and more sustainable world through technology.