Silicon Validation Engineer

Job Title

Silicon Validation Engineer

Role Summary

Responsible for pre- and post-silicon validation of mixed-signal integrated circuits in the Sensing Product Group. Work includes FPGA prototyping, lab bring-up and characterization, firmware/hardware debug, test automation, and reporting; collaborate with design, verification, product/test and applications teams throughout the product lifecycle.

Experience Level

Mid-level — requires approximately 5+ years of relevant hardware and software validation experience.

Responsibilities

Primary duties include planning and executing validation and characterization activities, debugging silicon and system issues, and delivering test artifacts and reports.

• Validate pre-silicon and post-silicon hardware and firmware to verify target specifications.
• Define, debug and operate FPGA prototyping platforms for emulation and validation.
• Lead silicon validation test plans, develop lab hardware and evaluation setups, drive bring-up and debug, and run/analyze measurements.
• Develop automated tests, write instrument drivers and scripts for validation and data analysis.
• Execute analog and mixed-signal performance characterization across corners and correlate measurements with design expectations.
• Design and build fixtures and components to support validation activities.
• Analyze findings, perform root-cause debug, and report results to design and cross-functional teams.
• Author test plans, characterization reports, and documentation for reviews.
• Provide technical support to test, product, and application engineers.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and proven hands-on validation experience; preferred items listed separately.

• Must-have: 5+ years of hardware and software validation experience for semiconductors or electronic components.
• Must-have: Hands-on experience with lab instruments (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, supplies, multimeters) and measurement methods.
• Proficiency in C/C++ and scripting (Python) for test automation and data analysis; embedded systems software development experience.
• Experience with standard hardware protocols (I2C, I3C, SPI, MIPI, GPIB, JTAG, PCIe, etc.).
• Exposure to development boards, processors, microcontrollers and FPGAs (e.g. AMD Vivado).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; excellent verbal and written communication; self-motivated and team-oriented.
• Willing and able to work onsite in San Diego, California (hybrid schedule: 4 days in office, Friday remote).
• Nice-to-have: experience with IC bring-up, AI-assisted coding tools and workflows, MCU-based systems (ARM, RISC-V, STM32, PIC), RTL/SystemVerilog/VHDL, MATLAB, analog/mixed-signal testing techniques, and version control/scripted regression frameworks (Git).

Education Requirements

B.S. or M.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering.

About the Company

Company: Semtech

Headquarters: Camarillo, California, USA

Semtech Corporation is a high-performance semiconductor company providing IoT systems and Cloud connectivity solutions. The company focuses on delivering innovative technology solutions that support a smarter, more connected, and sustainable planet, with a dedication to quality across infrastructure, industrial, and consumer markets.