Principal Physical Verification Engineer

We are seeking a talented Physical Verification Design Engineer to join our VLSI design team. This role involves ownership of full-chip and block-level physical verification (PV) signoff, ensuring designs meet foundry and reliability requirements. The candidate will collaborate closely with physical design, PDK, CAD, and tapeout teams to deliver high-quality silicon.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform physical verification (PV) for block-level and full-chip designs, including:
  • Design Rule Check (DRC)
  • Layout Versus Schematic (LVS)
  • Electrical Rule Check (ERC)
  • Antenna, density, and reliability checks
• Drive signoff closure by identifying and resolving PV violations efficiently.
• Work with physical design and layout teams to debug and fix violations.
• Develop and maintain runsets, decks, and automation flows using industry-standard tools.
• Analyze foundry decks and PDK updates, ensuring compliance with process requirements.
• Lead tapeout readiness reviews and ensure high-quality database delivery.
• Perform hierarchical verification and regression management.
• Participate in improving verification methodologies, runtime, and capacity optimization.
• Interface with foundry and EDA vendors to resolve tool or deck-related issues.
• Mentor junior engineers and review their work as needed.

Preferred / Added Advantage Skills

• Exposure to Physical Design (PD) concepts, including:
  • Floorplanning (macro placement, block shaping, congestion awareness)
  • Power Delivery Network (PDN) design (power grid, IR drop considerations)
• Understanding of:
  • Placement, CTS, routing flows
  • PD-PV interaction and impact of layout decisions on DRC/LVS closure
• Knowledge of:
  • EM/IR, latch-up, ESD reliability checks
  • Multi-patterning / EUV constraints
• Experience with full-chip integration and SoC-level challenges
• Ability to correlate PV issues with PD root causes (e.g., spacing, density, routing hotspots)
• Exposure to flow automation and methodology development

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability
• Effective communication across cross-functional teams
• Ownership mindset with focus on quality and timelines
• Ability to work independently and guide team members