Staff Mixed Signal IC Design Engineer

Job Title

Staff Mixed Signal IC Design Engineer

Role Summary

Lead mixed-signal integrated circuit design for Qualcomm's fingerprint sensor products, focusing on sensor and pixel architectures, circuit blocks, verification, and lab bring-up. The role sits on the Fingerprint Sensor Design Team developing under-display and platen sensor solutions.

Work involves system-to-circuit translation, simulation-driven design iterations, layout guidance, and cross-functional collaboration with firmware, product, and test teams to deliver manufacturable sensor IP.

Experience Level

Senior (Staff level). The posting indicates experienced mixed-signal/sensor IC engineers; specific experience expectations vary by degree (see Education Requirements).

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include architecture, design, verification, and validation of fingerprint sensor ICs and pixels.

• Define sensor architectures and translate system-level requirements into circuit and pixel specifications.
• Perform circuit- and pixel-level simulations (Cadence ADE/Spectre, HSPICE, MATLAB) across process/voltage/temperature corners.
• Design and optimize sensor pixels, driver circuits, and mixed-signal blocks for performance, area, and manufacturability.
• Conduct system-level studies: architecture exploration, physics analysis, and performance trade-off evaluations.
• Review and guide pixel- and block-level layout to meet performance and reliability targets.
• Debug circuit, pixel, and system issues; iterate designs based on simulation and measurement data.
• Support sensor bring-up with lab measurements, functional validation, and simulation-to-hardware correlation.
• Collaborate with system, firmware, product, and test teams and prepare technical documentation and design descriptions.
• Contribute technical innovation to improve sensor architecture and circuit/pixel performance.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience for immediate contribution; preferred items listed separately.

• Proven experience in analog and mixed-signal IC design and verification, including sensor circuits and pixel design.
• Hands-on with Cadence toolflow (ADE/Spectre) and SPICE-based simulators; proficiency with MATLAB for analysis.
• Experience with behavioral/hardware description languages (Verilog/VHDL) for mixed-signal flows.
• Strong skills in circuit simulation, corner analysis, and design optimization.
• Experience in layout review and ensuring designs meet manufacturability and reliability constraints.
• Lab experience for sensor bring-up, measurement, and correlating results with simulation models.
• Ability to collaborate across disciplines and communicate technical results clearly in documentation.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with CMOS sensor design and TFT/LTPS backplanes.
• Background in semiconductor device physics relevant to sensor operation.

Education Requirements

Qualcomm specifies degree-based minimums: PhD in a relevant field with 2+ years' applicable experience, Master’s with 3+ years, or Bachelor's with 4+ years. Acceptable fields include Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or related science/engineering disciplines. The posting also allows equivalent practical experience in place of formal degrees.

About the Company

Company: Qualcomm

Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States

Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.