Quantum PDK Design Enablement Engineer

Job Title

Quantum PDK Design Enablement Engineer

Role Summary

The engineer develops, qualifies, and deploys physical verification (DRC/LVS) and parasitic extraction (PEX) components for Process Design Kits (PDKs). Work spans process technology, device modeling, EDA, and physical design to enable accurate verification and first-time-right customer designs.

Experience Level

Mid-level (experienced engineer). Typical experience guidance provided by employer: BS + 6–7 years, MS + 5–6 years, PhD + 3–4 years.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities focus on creating and maintaining production-quality verification and extraction rule decks, validating them, and improving automation and tool flows.

• Develop, code, qualify, and maintain DRC, LVS, and PEX rule decks and related PDK components.
• Translate process integration, design rules, device definitions, and electrical models into verification and extraction solutions.
• Create and run regression suites and test methodologies to validate correctness, coverage, performance, and scalability.
• Analyze and debug complex DRC/LVS/PEX issues; perform root-cause analysis and resolve discrepancies with process and EDA teams.
• Optimize verification and extraction flows for accuracy, runtime, memory, scalability, and deployment readiness.
• Develop automation and explore AI/ML-assisted methods for rule generation, test-case creation, coverage analysis, and anomaly detection.
• Drive PDK quality through structured qualification, documentation, change management, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with process, modeling, reliability, circuit design, layout, and EDA teams to ensure accurate design-to-manufacturing representation.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience for the role.

• Practical experience with DRC and/or LVS rule development, coding, debugging, or qualification.
• Knowledge of parasitic resistance and capacitance extraction, interconnect modeling, and layout-dependent effects.
• Working knowledge of CMOS process technologies, device behavior, layout design rules, and design-manufacturing interactions.
• Experience with industry-standard physical verification and/or extraction environments and rule-deck development methodologies.
• Proficiency in scripting or programming for automation and analysis (Python, Tcl, Perl, shell, or equivalent).
• Ability to troubleshoot complex technical problems and perform structured root-cause analysis.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% and fluency in written and verbal English.

Nice-to-have / preferred technical experience:

• Experience releasing production PDK DRC/LVS/PEX decks and PEX technology-file development (RC extraction, process-corner modeling, silicon/model correlation).
• Familiarity with tools such as Siemens Calibre, Synopsys IC Validator, Cadence Pegasus/PVS, or equivalents.
• Experience building automated regression environments, rule-coverage metrics, and qualification methodologies.
• Experience applying AI/ML or data-driven techniques for rule coding, test generation, verification debug, or PDK quality analysis.
• Experience collaborating with EDA vendors and cross-functional design teams; strong written and verbal communication and organizational skills.

Education Requirements

Required: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Microelectronics, Computer Science, Applied Physics, or a related technical field. Preferred: Master's degree or PhD in the same fields. Employer guidance on equivalent experience: BS + 6–7 years, MS + 5–6 years, PhD + 3–4 years; exceptions may be approved by HR.

About the Company

Company: GlobalFoundries

Headquarters: Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

GlobalFoundries is a leading contract manufacturer for the global semiconductor industry, with facilities in multiple countries, including the USA. The company develops a broad portfolio of semiconductor technologies and employs around 13,000 people worldwide. GlobalFoundries focuses on enhancing competitiveness in specialized application solutions and fostering innovation in mobile communications, consumer electronics, and automotive applications.