Principal Semiconductor Device Engineer

Job Title

Principal Semiconductor Device Engineer

Role Summary

Senior technical contributor responsible for development and commercialization of vertical GaN power device technology, working across device physics, process integration, modeling, and characterization.

Work closely with epitaxy, process engineering, packaging, reliability, and systems teams to define device roadmaps, de-risk transitions, and enable scalable manufacturing. This role is mainly hands-on and based at Greentown Labs (Somerville, MA).

Experience Level

Senior — approximately 10–25 years of semiconductor R&D experience (role text cites ~10–20 years; qualifications cite ~15–25 years).

Responsibilities

The core responsibilities focus on device architecture, development programs, characterization, and technical leadership.

• Act as subject-matter expert for vertical GaN and wide-bandgap power devices across R&D lifecycle from concept to early production readiness.
• Define and evolve device architectures, performance targets, and design trade-offs for next-generation devices.
• Lead device modeling, TCAD simulation, and analytical studies to guide optimization, scaling, and reliability.
• Plan and execute device development programs in shared fabs and external foundries, including technology transfer and process co-development.
• Partner on CMOS-compatible GaN process integration, yield learning, and manufacturability improvements.
• Lead failure analysis, reliability-physics investigations, and root-cause analysis for wide-bandgap devices.
• Oversee on-wafer and discrete device characterization (DC, CV, dynamic, high-power testing).
• Design and review GDS layouts, test structures, and evaluation vehicles; support system-level evaluation boards and correlation to device behavior.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote technical best practices through reviews and knowledge sharing.
• Contribute to IP, technical publications, and external technical engagements as appropriate.

Requirements

Key must-have technical skills and experience. Nice-to-have items listed separately.

• Must-have: Extensive experience with power device design in GaN and/or SiC, including vertical device concepts.
• Must-have: Proven experience in semiconductor manufacturing processes, integration challenges, yield improvement, and shared-fab/foundry environments including technology transfer.
• Must-have: Strong proficiency in TCAD simulation and device physics modeling.
• Must-have: Advanced data analysis skills (Python, MATLAB, or equivalent).
• Must-have: Hands-on experience with GDS layout and test-structure design; experience with automated on-wafer DC/CV/dynamic testing and discrete component characterization.
• Must-have: Expertise in failure analysis and reliability physics for wide-bandgap power devices.
• Must-have: Ability to design, build, and measure application evaluation boards and correlate system-level behavior to device performance.
• Must-have: Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Nice-to-have: Track record of technical impact, publications, IP contributions, and informal leadership/mentorship in small teams or startups.

Education Requirements

PhD or equivalent industry experience in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or Device Engineering; the posting explicitly accepts "equivalent industry experience" in lieu of the PhD.

About the Company

Company: Vertical Semiconductor

Headquarters: Somerville, MA, USA

Venture-backed MIT spin-out developing vertical gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors and system-level solutions for high-performance power conversion, targeting next-generation compute and AI applications.