Junior DFT Engineer

Inspire Semiconductor•Austin, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a motivated Junior Design for Test (DFT) Engineer to join our team. This is an ideal role for someone with a solid grasp of digital logic and a passion for hardware reliability. You will support the end-to-end DFT flow, from RTL integration to ATPG pattern generation, while learning to navigate the complexities of massive-scale chip design.

Requirements

1–3 years of experience in DFT or Digital Design (relevant internships or university projects count!).
A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
A strong understanding of digital logic design, Verilog/SystemVerilog, and basic DFT concepts (Scan, ATPG, BIST).
Familiarity with Tcl, Python, or Perl for workflow automation.
Basic experience or academic exposure to industry-standard tools (e.g., Cadence Modus/Genus, Synopsys Tessent/DFTMAX, or Siemens Fastscan).
A "can-do" attitude, a desire to learn complex hierarchies, and excellent communication skills for cross-functional collaboration.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of RISC-V architecture or CPU fundamentals.
Experience with Gate Level Simulations (GLS) and timing analysis.
Exposure to hardware description languages like VHDL or specialized DFT protocols like IJTAG (IEEE 1687).
Knowledge or experience using ATE test systems (Advantest 93K, Teradyne Ultra-Flex, etc).

Responsibilities

Assist in integrating DFT features such as scan compression, memory BIST, IEEE 1149, IEEE 1687, and IEEE 1500 wrappers into the design.
Execute scan insertion scripts and run ATPG (Automatic Test Pattern Generation) for various fault models, including stuck-at and transition faults.
Run and debug gate-level simulations (GLS) to verify DFT structures and investigate simulation mismatches.
Help identify areas of low test coverage and work with senior engineers to implement logic changes or test points to improve results.
Support the validation of test patterns for low-power designs and assist in timing constraint verification for scan modes.
Maintain and improve Tcl, Perl, or Python scripts to streamline the DFT flow and post-processing of design data.