Silicon Debug Engineer

Apple • Austin, TX

20h

About The Position

Do you have a passion for solving the hardest problems in silicon? Do you thrive at the intersection of circuit theory, device physics, and hands-on failure investigation? As part of our Silicon Debug group, you'll take complex, often elusive silicon failures and systematically uncover their root cause — from electrical characterization all the way down to physical analysis. You and your team will apply deep engineering fundamentals and cutting-edge failure analysis techniques to enable product ramp at scale. Your efforts will directly impact the quality and reliability of state-of-the-art ASICs that power experiences for millions of customers worldwide. Join us, and you'll play a central role in ensuring the silicon we build is everything it needs to be. We have an extraordinary opportunity for Silicon Debug Engineers to investigate and root-cause failures in advanced custom digital megacells (SRAM memories, on-chip sensors, custom data paths) used in high-performance, low-power SoCs. You will bridge the gap between electrical debug and physical failure analysis, working at the frontier of silicon investigation. Imagine yourself at the center of our SoC bring-up and product ramp effort, collaborating across circuit design, process engineering, DFT, and failure analysis teams — with a critical impact on getting functional products to millions of customers quickly.

Requirements

• BSEE/MSEE

Nice To Haves

• Experience in one or more of the following areas: SRAM circuits, custom circuit design, silicon debug.
• Experience in design or debug of low-voltage / low-power custom circuits.
• Deep understanding of deep-submicron device physics, leakage mechanisms, and technology interactions with device behavior.
• Solid understanding of device matching, device noise sources (1/f, thermal), extrinsic noise sources (supply noise, jitter), and their impact on high-precision circuits.
• Familiarity with electrical failure analysis (eFA) techniques and physical failure analysis (pFA) workflows, and the ability to plan FA strategies based on electrical debug data.
• Understanding of Dynamic Lock-in Thermography (DLS) and Lock-in Thermography (LIT) for localization of resistive and leakage defects, including their sensitivity limits and how thermal signatures correlate to specific circuit fault modes.
• Knowledge of Nanoprobe techniques for electrical probing of deep-submicron nodes, and appreciation of how probe contact, voltage bias, and electron beam exposure can perturb sensitive analog or memory circuits.
• Awareness of how physical sample preparation steps (deprocessing, FIB cross-section, delayering) can alter or destroy evidence of electrical failures, and how to coordinate FA plans that preserve failure signatures.
• Ability to interpret FA results (photon emission maps, OBIRCH, thermal maps, TEM/SEM imagery) in the context of circuit topology and failure electrical signatures.
• Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, Perl, or others) and CAD automation tools.
• Knowledge of industry-standard circuit design and simulation tools.

Responsibilities

• Investigate and root-cause failures in advanced custom digital megacells (SRAM memories, on-chip sensors, custom data paths) used in high-performance, low-power SoCs.
• Bridge the gap between electrical debug and physical failure analysis, working at the frontier of silicon investigation.
• Collaborate across circuit design, process engineering, DFT, and failure analysis teams.
• Apply deep engineering fundamentals and cutting-edge failure analysis techniques to enable product ramp at scale.
• Conduct structured experiments during silicon debug, gather and analyze large datasets, and utilize scripting to support efficient handling of debug data.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree