Staff RF Hardware Engineer - Device Technology

Qualcomm • San Diego, CA

39d • $145,600 - $218,400

About The Position

As a member of Qualcomm Technologies’ Si Process Packaging Solutions (PPS) team, the Staff RF Hardware Engineer drives silicon process technology evaluation, development, design enablement, and productization for mixed-signal and RF products at foundry partners. The role focuses on bulk silicon and RFSOI technologies for RF front-end designs, including RF switching and antenna circuits, receivers, and transmitters. It works with Qualcomm design and product teams to define process and device requirements, evaluate and optimize technologies, support internal engineering teams, and improve product quality. The engineer owns assigned technical work and schedule commitments and contributes new methods for device and process improvement, including automation and AI-assisted workflows.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Engineering, or a related field and 4+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience; or a master’s degree and 3+ years; or a Ph.D. and 2+ years.
• Good communication skills and demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and commitments.

Nice To Haves

• 8+ years of industrial experience developing advanced CMOS processes and devices.
• Excellent understanding of RF-CMOS, SOI, or BiCMOS, process integration, reliability, design rules, and best layout practices.
• Excellent understanding of PDK details, including DRC, LVS, and LPE.
• Proficiency in device-level test-structure development, DOE design, statistical analysis, and data-driven problem solving.
• Excellent understanding of sub-micron process/device optimization and its impact on digital, analog, RF, and HV circuit design and product-level performance.
• Experience designing wafer-level designs such as analog IPs, LNAs, and PAs, and circuit design flows.
• Good knowledge of RF measurements such as S-parameters, harmonics, and noise figure, and of DC characterization of devices on wafers and in product ICs.
• Good knowledge of technology evaluation and benchmarking, SPC monitoring, and reliability qualification.
• Good understanding of BSIM and PSP-SOI device models and ability to run hardware correlations; ability to tweak and update models is a plus.
• Fab device engineering or process integration experience, preferably in RF devices.
• Foundry and OSAT interface experience.

Responsibilities

• Drive bulk silicon and RFSOI technology evaluation, development, and design enablement for RF front-end designs, including RF switching and antenna circuits, receivers, and transmitters.
• Work with Qualcomm design and product teams to define process and device requirements for continuous technology improvements.
• Define and execute test-structure DOE, layout, and characterization for process evaluation to meet design requirements.
• Design, simulate, and test RF circuits to understand process-design-layout interactions and guide optimization for best performance.
• Interact with internal design teams, PDK teams, reliability, and product engineering to ensure technology support.
• Support design, layout, PTE, and reliability teams in addressing questions and resolving device and design optimization issues.
• Assure product quality by devising testing methodologies and testing product and system capabilities.
• Independently own assigned technical execution and schedule commitments.
• Innovate methods for continuous device and process improvement and support automation and AI-assisted workflows.

Benefits

• Competitive annual discretionary bonus program.
• Opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for the annual bonus).
• Competitive benefits package designed to support employees at work, at home, and at play.

What This Job Offers

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