PDK Development Engineer

Job Title

PDK Development Engineer

Role Summary

Join the Engineering Enablement organization to develop and validate Process Design Kits (PDKs) and the QA framework used to verify PDK deliverables for analog, mixed-signal, power management and DSP technologies. This individual contributor role focuses on automation, test-case development, and validation of layout generators, physical verification rules, parasitic extraction flows and related CAD infrastructure.

Experience Level

Level - Mid-Career. Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in PDK development, CAD automation, or related semiconductor process/tool flows.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include developing PDK components, creating and running QA test flows, and supporting ADI design teams and EDA vendors.

• Develop device-level layout generators (PCELLs).
• Author and validate physical verification (DRC/LVS) rules and parasitic extraction flows.
• Create and enhance automated test cases to improve QA coverage for schematic symbols, layout p-cells, CDFs, techfiles, and verification decks.
• Interpret process and assembly/packaging design rules to ensure representative DRC test cases.
• Design LVS validation test cases and validate LVS flow intent.
• Implement automatic test-case generation and unit testing to ensure test coverage across PDK components.
• Debug failing test cases and investigate PASS/FAIL behavior.
• Provide technical CAD support and collaborate with device modeling, process development, foundry groups and design teams.
• Create test cases for netlist validation and for accuracy checks of parasitic R/C extraction.
• Validate techfiles used in ESD verification (topology checks, ESD resistance, current density checks); work with EDA vendors to resolve tool issues and request features.

Requirements

Strong technical and automation skills required. Below are concise must-have and nice-to-have items.

Must-have:

• Proven experience developing PDKs and automation scripts/tools.
• Proficient in Python and Cadence Skill language.
• Experience with scripting languages such as Perl, Tcl, or Bash.
• Familiarity with physical verification (DRC/LVS) and parasitic extraction tools.
• Experience with analog/mixed-signal simulation tools and validating netlists.
• Experience with automated test-case generation, unit testing and debugging verification flows.
• Familiarity with revision control and collaboration tools.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; detail oriented and organized.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% for vendor or cross-site collaboration.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with Cadence, Mentor, Keysight or internal CAD toolchains used for PDK development.
• Prior work interfacing with EDA vendors to track bugs and feature requests.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering with emphasis on IC design and semiconductor processes (BS/MS in EE/CE). Not specified whether equivalent practical experience is accepted.

About the Company

Company: Analog Devices

Headquarters: Norwood, Massachusetts, USA

Analog Devices is a leading global semiconductor company that bridges the physical and digital worlds, enabling breakthroughs at the Intelligent Edge. With a focus on innovation, ADI develops solutions that drive advancements in digitized factories, mobility, and digital healthcare. The company employs around 24,000 people globally and reported revenues exceeding $9 billion in FY24, creating technologies that transform lives across various sectors.