Physical Design Engineer

Vaspire Technologies Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaspire Technologies Inc. is seeking a Physical Design Engineer with strong PnR, PPA optimization, and timing convergence expertise for advanced nodes.

You will drive block-level implementation from netlist to GDSII, perform floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, and verification, and collaborate with RTL/DFT teams to ensure successful tapeout. You will optimize for power, performance, and area, develop timing constraints, and address EMIR and signoff challenges across multiple corners.

Qualifications

• Experience in physical design and PnR for advanced nodes.
• Proficient in floorplanning, CTS, routing, and timing closure.
• Familiar with signoff methodologies and EDA tools.

Responsibilities

• Drive block-level physical design from netlist to GDSII.
• Perform floorplanning, power planning, placement, CTS, routing, and verification.
• Optimize designs for PPA targets (Power, Performance, Area).
• Achieve timing closure across corners and modes.
• Analyze and resolve setup/hold/transition violations and noise.
• Develop timing constraints (SDC) and STA signoff methodologies.
• Conduct EMIR analysis and closure.
• Collaborate with RTL, DFT, STA, and Signoff teams for tapeout.
• Debug physical design issues and drive convergence within schedules.

Skills

Physical Design

PnR flow

Floorplanning

Placement & Optimization

CTS

Routing

Timing Closure

STA

SDC

EMIR Analysis

PPA Optimization

EDA Tools

Cadence Innovus

RedHawk/Voltus

Low-Power Design

Education

Electrical Engineering degree

Tools

Cadence Innovus

RedHawk

Voltus

Job description

We are looking for a Physical Design Engineer with strong expertise in Place & Route (PnR), Power-Performance-Area (PPA) optimization, and timing convergence for advanced technology nodes.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive block-level physical design implementation from netlist to GDSII.
• Perform floorplanning, power planning, placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS), routing, and physical verification.
• Optimize designs for Power, Performance, and Area (PPA) targets.
• Achieve timing closure across multiple corners and modes.
• Analyze and resolve setup, hold, transition, capacitance, and noise violations.
• Develop and maintain timing constraints (SDC) and STA signoff methodologies.
• Perform EMIR (Electromigration & IR Drop) analysis and closure.
• Collaborate with RTL, DFT, STA, and Signoff teams to ensure successful tapeout.
• Debug physical design issues and drive design convergence within project schedules.

Required Skills

• Strong experience in Physical Design and PnR flow.
  • Floorplanning
  • Placement & Optimization
  • Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS)
  • Routing
  • Timing Closure
  • Static Timing Analysis (STA)
  • Timing Constraints (SDC)
  • EMIR Analysis
  • PPA Optimization
• Experience with industry-standard EDA tools such as:
  • Cadence Innovus (optional)
  • RedHawk / Voltus (EMIR)
• Good understanding of low-power design techniques and signoff methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering.
• Experience in advanced nodes (7nm/5nm/3nm preferred).
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working with cross-functional silicon teams.