Engineer, Design Validation & Characterization

pSemi Corporation is a Murata company driving semiconductor integration. pSemi builds on Peregrine Semiconductor’s 30-year legacy of technology advancements and strong IP portfolio but with a new mission—to enhance Murata’s world-class capabilities with high-performance semiconductors. With a strong foundation in RF integration, pSemi’s product portfolio now spans power management, connected sensors, optical transceivers, antenna tuning and RF frontends. These intelligent and efficient semiconductors enable advanced modules for smartphones, base stations, personal computers, electric vehicles, data centers, IoT devices and healthcare. From headquarters in San Diego and offices around the world, pSemi’s team explores new ways to make electronics for the connected world smaller, thinner, faster and better.

Job Summary

This individual will execute design validation and characterization activities and contribute to product development of RF and mixed signal ICs in pSemi’s UltraCMOS technology for mobile wireless RF front end semiconductor products for cellular handsets and commercial/industrial applications. Product lines include high performance RF switches, PA controllers (PAC’s), power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers, digital tunable capacitors and IC filters. A successful person enjoys working cross‑functionally to set up and operate RF test benches, automate measurements, analyze data across PVT, and document results to support high‑quality product releases. The job will require understanding in RF and analog measurements combined with disciplined project planning to support the release of high-quality products. As part of a cross-functional product development team, the Engineer will support other essential disciplines including marketing and applications, project management, design, production and test engineering.  Additionally, they will work very closely with the design team to understand the part operation and device.

Roles & Responsibilities

This position has responsibility for:

• Design Validation: Performing lab measurements on various RF/mixed signal front end IC’s (LNA, SW, PA, PAC’s, Couplers, Digital tunable capacitors and IC filters) and create validation report with comparisons vs design expectations.
• Product Characterization: Characterize products across PVT per test plans; configure and maintain benches/fixtures, instrument setups, and calibration routines; maintain and extend existing automation scripts to improve efficiency and repeatability.
• Product Qualification: Compile and analyze results from products being stressed for lifetime reliability.  Support bench evaluation of qualification units and escalate anomalies with clear reproduction steps and data.
• Product Documentation: Document device performance and limitations with traceable data including conditions, scripts, and configurations for future reference by applications and customer support. Propose preliminary performance limits based on design verification and characterization data for cross‑functional review and approval.
• Production ATE Development: Partner with Test Engineering to correlate bench measurements and the automated test solution, including golden units, correlation data sets, and issue reproduction support.
• Product Evaluation: Support design verification by executing defined experiments, reproducing issues, and providing timely status updates.
• Analysis Tool Development: Maintain and enhance characterization and test data analysis tools to streamline characterization (CPK analysis) and improve ATE capability understanding (GR&R)
• Characterization Infrastructure: Configure, maintain, and incrementally improve RF validation benches, fixtures, and automation. Design adapters and fixtures as needed and collaborate with senior engineers on new bench architecture. Recommend incremental optimizations to improve throughput and repeatability.

Minimum Qualifications (Experience and Skills)

• Strong understanding of RF measurement fundamentals – NF, IP3, IP2/3, IMD, EVM, S-parameters, matching using smith charts, de-embedding, calibration, time domain measurements etc.
• Basic understanding of statistical techniques (Gauge R&R, CPK, ANOVA)
• Proven strength in documentation clarity and completeness
• Team player with a strong sense of urgency to plan activities and meet NPI requirements on schedule
• Hands-on use of lab equipment to validate performance such as Spectrum Analyzers, Vector Network analyzers, signal generators, oscilloscopes, DMM, SMU etc.
• Experience with at least one of the following software tools: MatLab, JMP, Python, DataPower, Agilent ADS, National Instruments CVI, LabVIEW.
• Ability to multi-task and work competently in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Minimum Education Requirements

• Bachelors of Engineering or equivalent with minimum 2 years of relevant experience.
• Or Master of Science in Electrical Engineering or a related field with 0-2 years’ experience.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds.

pSemi Corporation supports a diverse workforce and is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for applicants and employees. pSemi does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or breastfeeding), gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, legally-protected medical condition, military or veteran status (including “protected veterans” under applicable affirmative action laws), marital status, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal laws applicable to the Company. pSemi also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that an employee or applicant has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.

Note: The Peregrine Semiconductor name, Peregrine Semiconductor logo and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks and the pSemi name, pSemi logo, HaRP and DuNE are trademarks of pSemi Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. pSemi products are protected under one or more of the following U.S. Patents: http://patents.psemi.com