Systems Power Integrity Engineer - Apple Mac

Apple•Cupertino, CA

About The Position

The Mac organization is looking for an outstanding engineer to support the system-level Power Distribution Network (PDN) design, analysis and validation aspects of Mac and Accessory products development. You should have deep knowledge and familiarity with power delivery network design, analysis and validation methods. You will work with multi-functional teams design and implement a power supply network solution, develop and validate impedance and droop targets, and verify the quality of the power supply using lab and in-situ silicon measurements. The role involves pathfinding studies in silicon development phase where feedback is provided to silicon and packaging team on system integration tradeoffs. Ability to complete target impedance analysis, transient voltage droop and phase margin/stability analysis is required. The candidate is expected to guide and work closely with the system team on the component selections, for optimum power solutions with high and low load transient, at different performance state. The candidate is expected to work closely with System Design teams to provide detailed layout strategy and guidelines during design execution phase. The candidate is also expected to work with HW Validation teams to develop test-suites to perform system-level validation for evaluation of design margins on the power domains. The roll includes the power integrity support throughout the product design process which can include system pathfinding and verification stages, and characterization reviews with continuing guidance through production and ramp.

Requirements

M.S. Degree with 4-7 years of relevant work experience.
Proven technical understanding of power supply architectures.
Familiarity with voltage regulator technologies.
Expertise in power distribution network (PDN) modeling.
Knowledge of PCB design practices and trade-offs for PDN design and optimization.
Skills with associated tools for 2.5D (PowerSI, SIWave, Sentinel-PI, nSys), 3D Full wave (HFSS, nWave), and quasi-static tools (Q3D, nApex).
Relevant proven understanding of HSPICE, Spectre, AMS, and Simplis models for system-level transient droop analysis.
Understanding of die-package-board power delivery network co-design constraints and tradeoffs.
Ability to work with multiple cross-functional teams to make the right trade-offs on system performance.

Nice To Haves

PhD with minimum 3-4 years experience.
Good understanding of multi-phase Buck/Boost converter and LDO design principles, operating modes, and system integration care-abouts.
Deep experience in CPM (Chip-Power-Model) usage for system transient analysis.
Hands-on experience on package or board layout with Cadence tools.
Ability to perform proof of concept layout study with Cadence tools.
Experience with Python, MATLAB or other programming languages.
Excellent documentation and communication skills.
Ability to work independently.
Interest to mentor.
Demonstrated ability to innovate.

Responsibilities

Support system-level Power Distribution Network (PDN) design, analysis, and validation for Mac and Accessory products.
Work with multi-functional teams to design and implement power supply network solutions.
Develop and validate impedance and droop targets.
Verify power supply quality using lab and in-situ silicon measurements.
Conduct pathfinding studies in the silicon development phase, providing feedback on system integration tradeoffs to silicon and packaging teams.
Perform target impedance analysis, transient voltage droop, and phase margin/stability analysis.
Guide and collaborate with the system team on component selections for optimal power solutions under various load and performance conditions.
Provide detailed layout strategy and guidelines to System Design teams during the design execution phase.
Develop test-suites with HW Validation teams for system-level validation and evaluation of power domain design margins.
Provide power integrity support throughout the product design process, including pathfinding, verification, and characterization reviews through production and ramp.