Sr Principal Electrical Engineer

Renesas Electronics Corporation; San Jose, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Renesas Electronics is seeking a Powertrain Design Engineer to lead the development of test vehicles supporting high-current BCD and LV GaN processes. You will own test-vehicle definition, circuit and layout design, and characterization planning from concept through silicon bring-up, collaborating with process development, product engineering, and applications teams.

The role requires hands-on experience designing power devices and circuits at IC and module levels, with fluency in power

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Microelectronics, or related field.
• 10+ years hands-on design experience in power semiconductor devices, analog/power ICs, or power electronics.
• Strong knowledge of power conversion topologies (buck, boost, multiphase, half-bridge) and topology-driven device requirements.
• Solid understanding of power device physics and tradeoffs across BCD and GaN technologies.
• Proven experience designing test structures or test chips/vehicles for process development.
• IC-level design and parasitic-aware layout for high-current switching nodes.
• Experience extending designs to module/board level (power module co-design, evaluation boards).
• Proficiency with circuit simulation tools (SPICE) and TCAD concepts.
• Ability to interpret absolute max ratings, OVP/UVP/OCP/OTP thresholds for reliability.
• Strong lab skills: bring-up, debug, characterization with oscilloscopes, power analyzers.

Responsibilities

• Define, design, and drive execution of test vehicles for high-current BCD and LV GaN processes.
• Translate process targets and roadmap requirements into test vehicle specs.
• Design and simulate power stage circuits (buck/boost, multiphase, half-bridge) for device validation.
• Select and characterize power devices for test structures, considering RDS(ON), Qg, breakdown, SOA.
• Perform IC-level layout for test structures with parasitic awareness.
• Extend designs to module/package level with packaging, magnetics, PCB layout.
• Develop test plans covering DC, switching, efficiency, transient, and stress margins.
• Lead or support silicon bring-up, debug, and correlation to simulations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to close the loop from process data to product specs.

Skills

Power electronics

Topologies

Device physics

IC/layout design

Test structures

SPICE/TCAD

Lab bring-up

Module/board integration

GaN LV experience

BCD process

Education

Bachelors or Masters in Electrical Engineering

Tools

SPICE

TCAD

Job description

Job Description

We are seeking a Powertrain Design Engineer to lead the development of test vehicles supporting our high-current BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) and low-voltage GaN power process and product portfolios. This role owns test vehicle definition, circuit and layout design, and characterization planning from concept through silicon bring-up, working closely with process development, product engineering, and applications teams. The ideal candidate has hands-on experience designing power devices and circuits at both the IC and module level, and is fluent in the power topologies these test vehicles are ultimately intended to support.

Key Responsibilities

• Define, design, and drive execution of test vehicles (TVs) for high-current BCD and LV GaN process technologies, including device test structures, scaled power stages, and full-function demonstration circuits.
• Translate process capability targets and product roadmap requirements into test vehicle architecture and specifications.
• Design and simulate power stage circuits (e.g., synchronous buck/boost, multiphase, half-bridge/DrMOS, gate drivers) used to validate device performance under realistic switching and thermal conditions.
• Select and characterize power devices (LDMOS, trench MOSFETs, LV GaN HEMTs, Schottky/sync rectifiers) for inclusion in test structures, working with device/process engineering on layout-dependent tradeoffs (RDS(ON), Qg, breakdown voltage, SOA).
• Perform IC-level layout and design for test structures, including parasitic-aware layout for switch nodes, current sensing, and gate drive paths.
• Extend designs to module/package level as needed - co-design of power stages with packaging, magnetics, and PCB layout for evaluation boards and system-level test vehicles.
• Develop test and characterization plans covering DC parametrics, switching performance, efficiency, transient response, and voltage/current stress margins (including switch-node ringing and abs-max validation).
• Lead or support silicon bring-up, debug, and correlation of measured results against simulation and design targets.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with process integration, reliability, product/applications engineering, and test engineering to close the loop from process split data to product-ready specifications.
• Document design methodology, test vehicle results, and characterization data to support technology qualification and product development decisions.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Microelectronics, or related field.
• 10+ years of hands-on design experience in power semiconductor devices, analog/power ICs, or power electronics.
• Strong working knowledge of power conversion topologies (e.g., buck, boost, multiphase/interleaved converters, half-bridge, DrMOS/Intelli-Phase-style architectures) and how topology choices drive device requirements.
• Solid understanding of power device physics and tradeoffs across BCD process technologies and GaN (particularly low-voltage GaN HEMTs) — including RDS(ON), switching loss, gate charge, breakdown/avalanche behavior, and thermal characteristics.
• Demonstrated experience designing test structures or test chips/vehicles for process technology development (not just product design) — comfortable defining what a process node needs to prove out.
• IC-level design and layout experience, including parasitic-sensitive layout practices for high-current switching nodes.
• Experience taking designs beyond the die level to module, package, or board level (e.g., power module co-design, evaluation board layout, thermal/electrical co-design).
• Proficiency with circuit simulation tools (SPICE or equivalent) and familiarity with device/TCAD simulation concepts.
• Ability to interpret and specify absolute maximum ratings, transient voltage tolerance, and protection thresholds (OVP/UVP/OCP/OTP) relevant to power stage reliability.
• Strong lab skills: bring-up, debug, and characterization using oscilloscopes, curve tracers, power analyzers, and thermal imaging.

Additional Information

Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider driven by its Purpose, To Make Our Lives Easier. With a global team of over 21,000 engineers and problem solvers in more than 30 countries, we offer the opportunity to work on world-leading technology for Automotive, Industrial, Infrastructure, and IoT, shaping a safer, healthier, greener, and smarter future.

At Renesas, TAGIE is our culture, grounded in being Transparent, Agile, Global, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial. It shapes how we work, grow and deliver on our purpose together. This collaborative spirit and mindset drive our semiconductor technology to transform industries and impact millions of lives.

We believe in rewarding our employees with a competitive benefits package alongside their salary. More information will be provided during the hiring process.

Are you ready to join our team and shape the future with us?

Renesas Electronics is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, committed to supporting diversity and fostering a work environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For more information, please read Diversity & Inclusion Statement.