How to Get Job as Physical Design Engineer
What is Physical Design?
Physical design is the process of arranging the logical building blocks of a digital circuit. The field is a complex one and requires special training to become a physical designer. The Physical Design process starts with a synthesizable circuit design as the input. The output, on the other hand, is a “ready for construction” design. Planning is crucial at the initial stage of physical designing. The blueprint of a physical design closely resembles the design of a city. Design serves as the basis for the next step of the process, which is placement.
The placement stage involves the physical arrangement of gates on a surface. The process can be considered similar to planning a city and placing all the apartments.
Once the placement stage is complete, the next stage of physical design is routing. At this stage, the engineer decides on the best ways to connect the various gates using different metal layers using programmed wire delays. The routing stage is similar to road networks we have in the city that link locations together.
Who is a Physical Design Engineer?
A Physical Design Engineer usually works as a part of a team. They are responsible for the development of physical design of a complex chip. The core duties of a Design Engineer may include physical design of various blocks, timings analysis and physical verification. The Physical Design Engineers work aims to take care of errors and make adjustments to existing design.
The physical designer in a nutshell, plans and designs the integrated Circuit layout. The engineer generally works on controller architectures known as ASICs and processors. They are also responsible for optimizing the circuit to get better performance. The Physical Design Engineer has other responsibilities, which include:
- The clock tree synthesis for ease of routing,
- Delay reductions,
- Rectifying glitches.
How Do I Get a Job as a Physical Design Engineer?
Most companies that hire Physical design engineers are more interested in people with relevant training experience in the domain. A bachelor’s degree is an essential requirement to getting a job as a Physical Design Engineer. However, it does not provide the in-depth understanding that you require to work effectively in the industry. Many organizations prefer those with mastery in physical layout design. Therefore, profound knowledge of Analog Electronics and VLSI with emphasis on MOS transistors is an essential requirement. It is vital to have a basic knowledge of ASIC design flow. It makes the process of getting a job as a Physical Designer easier.
As a Physical Design Engineer, you should also have some basic understanding of the following analytical courses:
- Basics of CMOS
- Physical Design Flow
- Static timing analysis
- CTS
- Physical Verification
- Advanced knowledge of tools such as Synopsis ICC or Cadence Innovus, which is essential for physical design.
Besides these, a good understanding of the rudiments of digital electronics and the CMOS funamentals are necessary for those who wish to work as Physical Design Engineers. There are various opportunities in this domain, you can leverage the opportunity provided by special training institutes like Upgrade VLSI Technologies to train and get certified in advanced VLSI and physical design courses.
What Tool Do You Need as A Physical Design Engineer?
The ideal tool for effectiveness as a Physical Design Engineer is usually explicit to the job requirements. Tools for Synthesis, PnR, and optimization come from EDA vendors. Therefore, an understanding of how this tool work is crucial to your performance in the industry. It is also essential to have a good knowledge of HDL languages, for example, Verilog.
There are various online VLSI training from reputable organizations like Upgrade VLSI technology that will help you gain advanced knowledge in Physical Design and innovative EDA tools. Educational institutions like Upgrade VLSI Technologies usually have EDA servers available to provide a hands-on experience for their students.
Physical Design Engineers with advanced knowledge of the Linux operating system usually have a better chance. There are several Physical Design job opportunities available today in the top-tier VLSI industries and other businesses that constantly interact with the ASIC industries. While these opportunities exist, due to the strict requirements of the position, it is often difficult to land a job in these companies without the proper preparation. Therefore, it is crucial for Physical Design Engineers to constantly upgrade their knowledge and skills to meet the current requirements of the industry.
