Physical Design Intern

Job Title

Physical Design Intern

Role Summary

Work on the Physical Design team to turn RTL into physical layouts for SSD controller ASICs. You will participate in the full ASIC flow from synthesis through tape-out and collaborate with front‑end engineers to meet PPA and timing goals.

This is an internship role for students to gain hands‑on experience with industry EDA flows on production projects.

Experience Level

Entry-level internship for current undergraduate or graduate students; no specific years of professional experience required.

Responsibilities

Contribute to physical implementation and verification tasks under engineer supervision.

• Execute floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS), routing, and physical optimizations.
• Perform static timing analysis (STA) and help resolve setup/hold violations.
• Run and analyze DRC, LVS, and IR-drop checks and assist with fixes.
• Support PPA optimization efforts and develop/maintain P&R and verification flows.
• Collaborate with RTL and verification teams to integrate changes and address physical constraints.
• Create and maintain physical design scripts, utilities, and documentation.

Requirements

Key technical requirements and desirable skills.

• Must-have
  • Foundational understanding of VLSI concepts, CMOS circuit design, and digital logic.
  • Familiarity with ASIC physical design stages (placement, CTS, routing, STA).
  • Experience scripting in Python, Perl, or TCL.
  • Strong analytical/problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Nice-to-have
  • Hands-on use of Synopsys ICC2, Cadence Innovus, or similar P&R tools.
  • Exposure to STA tools (PrimeTime, Tempus), SDC, LEF/DEF, and low-power formats (UPF/CPF).
  • Experience leveraging AI/LLM tools to assist scripting or data analysis.

Education Requirements

Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.

About the Company

Company: SK hynix America

U.S. subsidiary of SK hynix, a global semiconductor company specializing in DRAM and NAND flash memory and related memory solutions for mobile devices, data centers, and consumer electronics. Focuses on advanced memory technologies, AI applications, and high-performance storage.