Engineer, Design Validation & Characterization

Murata America • Arlington Heights, IL

2d • $113,992 - $148,197 • Onsite

About The Position

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 and consumer WIFI 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.

Requirements

• 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.

Responsibilities

• Performing lab measurements on various RF and 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.
• Characterize products across PVT per test plans; configure and maintain benches and fixtures, instrument setups, and calibration routines; maintain and extend existing automation scripts to improve efficiency and repeatability.
• 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.
• 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.
• Partner with Test Engineering to correlate bench measurements and the automated test solution, including golden units, correlation data sets, and issue reproduction support.
• Support design verification by executing defined experiments, reproducing issues, and providing timely status updates.
• Maintain and enhance characterization and test data analysis tools to streamline characterization (CPK analysis) and improve ATE capability understanding (GR&R).
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level