Senior Principal RF Design Engineer
On-siteAustin, Texas, United States or Cary, North Carolina, United States
Job Summary
Drive the full product lifecycle for high-frequency (30 GHz+) transceivers and components for 5G/6G communications, aerospace radar, and automotive sensors. Design custom blocks including Power Amplifiers, Low Noise Amplifiers, mixers, and Voltage-Controlled Oscillators, while building Tx and Rx signal chains optimized for noise, linearity, and power efficiency. Lead RF PLL design involving Sigma delta and FRAC-N architectures, managing challenges like parasitic extraction, thermal management, and electromagnetic modeling. Validate designs through extensive lab characterization using spectrum analyzers and VNAs across advanced RF SOI nodes. Requires 10+ years of industrial experience from conception to tape-out.
Required Qualifications
- Experienced Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) IC designer
- Specialize in engineering high-frequency (30 GHz+) transceivers and components for 5G/6G communications, aerospace radar, and automotive sensors
- Deep expertise in designing custom blocks such as Power Amplifiers (PAs), Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs), mixers, and Voltage-Controlled Oscillators (VCOs)
- Deep expertise in designing Tx and Rx signal chains for noise, figure, linearity dynamic range and power efficiency
- Deep experience in RF PLL design including Sigma delta, FRAC-N PLL
- Experience with PLL buildng blocks such as PFD, charge pumps, dividers, multipliers
- Proficiency in RF transceiver architectures, direct-conversion topologies, and phased-array systems
- Signal chain analysis and system figures of merit such as ACPR, EVM and BER
- Hands-on experience on advanced nodes using RF SOI process and deep knowledge of the required trade offs
- Mastery of standard EDA software environments
- Experience with VSS - Schematic & Simulation
- Experience with Cadence Virtuoso and VRF flows
- Experience with EMX
- Experience with Clarity Layout & Verification
- Experience with Layout MXL, QRC and Pegasus
- Usually an M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (or a closely related discipline)
- 10+ years of industrial experience taking designs from conception through tape-out to final lab validation
- Extensive lab characterization experience utilizing high-frequency equipment like spectrum analyzers, VNAs, and probe stations
- Must be able to lift 50 lbs
Desired Qualifications
- Phase noise and spurius signal, settling time
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