Semiconductor Principal Design Engineer

Job Title

Semiconductor Principal Design Engineer

Role Summary

The Principal Design Engineer in Micron's Non‑Volatile Engineering Group leads datapath architecture, circuit design, and validation for NAND flash memory products with a focus on TSV (Through‑Silicon Via) interfaces and highly parallel internal buses.

The role directs technical planning, layout, verification and post‑silicon debug across cross‑functional teams to meet performance, power and reliability targets for 3D‑stacked memory architectures.

Experience Level

Senior — requires experienced individual; the posting specifies 8+ years of relevant memory circuit design experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include design leadership and hands‑on circuit work for TSV and internal datapath interfaces.

• Design and optimize TSV interface circuits (Rx/Tx, impedance matching, timing margin analysis).
• Develop and characterize TSV electrical models and define circuit constraints.
• Define signal integrity requirements for TSV channels (eye margin, crosstalk, noise budget).
• Define power integrity requirements and PDN considerations for parallel IO and array operations.
• Design and verify TSV‑specific DFT including loopback modes, continuity checks, and lane redundancy/remapping.
• Architect internal wide parallel data bus across arrays/channels, ensuring timing closure and signal integrity.
• Develop clocking and synchronization strategies (wave pipeline, clock distribution, skew management).
• Implement and optimize redundancy and lane repair schemes compatible with HBM‑like parallel buses.
• Define timing budgets and perform timing analysis across the full datapath under PVT variations.
• Lead functional verification and full‑chip circuit simulation and Verilog regression for datapath/TSV interfaces.
• Support post‑silicon validation, debug, correlation and drive schematic/tape‑out revisions.
• Collaborate with process/DTCO, packaging and assembly teams to meet TSV and layout constraints.
• Communicate design trade‑offs, schedule status and technical outcomes to integration and non‑design stakeholders.

Requirements

Must‑have technical skills and experience; preferred items listed separately.

• 8+ years of relevant experience in memory circuit design (memory technologies such as NAND/DRAM implied).
• Experience with TSV or high‑speed memory interface design (NV‑LPDDR4, DDR4/5, LPDDR5/6, HBM3/3E/4): timing analysis, parasitic modeling, signal integrity.
• Advanced knowledge of highly parallel bus performance, power/area optimization, clock distribution and skew management, and energy‑per‑bit considerations in 3D‑stacked architectures.
• Experience managing complex circuit design projects across multiple functional blocks and cross‑functional teams; clear communicator of trade‑offs and technical outcomes.
• Proven ability in timing analysis, signal/power integrity analysis, and system‑level datapath architecture.
• Experience with functional verification, full‑chip simulation, and Verilog regression for interface/datapath verification.
• Experience supporting post‑silicon validation, debug, and yield improvement activities.
• Practical use of AI to improve design quality and engineering workflow (listed in minimum qualifications).

Nice‑to‑have:

• Chip‑level PDN optimization and power delivery network design experience.
• Deep understanding of CMOS device physics, BSIM models and device reliability for high‑speed IO.
• Hands‑on experience applying AI/ML tools specifically to improve design efficiency and quality.
• Experience in physical design and layout strategies for TSV and wide data buses.

Education Requirements

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering (the posting specifies BS or MS in Electrical Engineering) with 8+ years of relevant experience in memory circuit design.

About the Company

Company: Micron Technology

Headquarters: Boise, Idaho, USA

Micron Technology is a global leader in memory and storage solutions, dedicated to transforming how the world uses information. The company offers a diverse portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND, and NOR memory products under the Micron and Crucial brands. With a commitment to customer focus and technological innovation, Micron drives advancements in artificial intelligence, 5G, and other data-centric applications, empowering users to learn, communicate, and progress.