Silicon Validation & Characterization Engineer — Automotive SerDes SoCs (3–10 Yrs)

🏢 About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments (TI) is a global semiconductor company designing, manufacturing, and selling analog and embedded processing chips — powering everything from industrial automation to automotive safety systems worldwide.
👥 About the Team — High Speed Data Interface Product Group
The High Speed Data Interface product group focuses on the development of differentiated high-speed SerDes SoCs targeted for automotive and industrial markets. There are two primary focus areas — Ethernet PHY and FPD-Link.
Ethernet PHY Group: A large number of applications — like in-vehicle driver alertness monitors, steering, or accelerator control in automotive and robotic applications — require an Ethernet interface. The ubiquity of Ethernet-enabled devices allows customers to simplify connecting large numbers of devices in automotive and robotic environments. Customers expect robust performance in the presence of interference and ESD events, along with processing offload capabilities. The low-cost migration from CAN to Ethernet presents unique challenges requiring interdisciplinary skills with aggressive cost and power targets.
FPD-Link Group: The proprietary FPD-Link interface addresses multi-gigabit (up to 20 Gbps) automotive and industrial sensor and display markets. Constant increase in density of electronic sensing and display content is pushing data rate (>20 Gbps) and BER performance requirements higher. Automotive functional safety requirements demand robust performance at these high data rates under challenging environments while maintaining low power consumption.
The Broader Mission: As part of this product group, you will be engaged in designing solutions spanning Analog, Digital, and Signal Processing domains to mitigate impairments such as high channel loss, ESD strikes, and narrowband interference. The team implements high-performance equalization circuits (CTLE, FFE, DFE), high-speed converters (DAC, ADC), high-speed digital front-ends, signal processing algorithms, embedded microcontrollers, and high-speed interfaces for camera and display systems. The team has successfully achieved several differentiated innovations through collaborative cross-domain optimization.
🌟 The entire product lifecycle — from product specification to customer and application support — is owned by the product group in Bangalore, giving each team member tremendous learning opportunity and enhanced scope to influence the global success of the product. We are looking for passionate, creative, and self-driven engineers who challenge traditional techniques and come up with innovative solutions to make a difference.
🎯 Role Overview
As a Silicon Validation & Characterization Engineer, you are the bridge between design simulation and real-world silicon performance. You will lead the lab bring-up, ATE test development, and comprehensive characterization of TI's high-speed Automotive SerDes SoCs — validating every specification across the full automotive operating range and ensuring production readiness for global deployment.
🔧 Key Responsibilities
Lead lab bring-up of new silicon for high-speed Ethernet PHY and FPD-Link SerDes SoCs — from power-on to full functional validation
Develop and execute ATE test programs (Advantest, Teradyne) for manufacturing test coverage and yield optimization
Perform comprehensive silicon characterization across PVT (Process, Voltage, Temperature) for full automotive operating conditions (-40°C to +125°C, 0V to VCC max)
Use high-speed lab equipment — oscilloscopes (>50 GHz), BERTs, spectrum analyzers, VNAs — for signal integrity and BER measurement
Identify, isolate, and debug silicon issues through systematic hardware, firmware, and measurement analysis
Collaborate with design teams to feed characterization data back for design debugging, corner analysis, and future product improvements
Develop characterization reports and data analysis tools for statistical performance profiling across silicon lots
Support reliability and qualification testing per automotive standards (AEC-Q100, HTOL, ESD, latch-up)
✅ Required Qualifications
Education: B.Tech / M.Tech in Electronics / VLSI / Instrumentation Engineering
Experience: 3–10 years of silicon validation or characterization experience
Hands-on experience with high-speed lab equipment — oscilloscopes, BERTs, spectrum analyzers, VNAs
Understanding of signal integrity measurement techniques for high-speed digital and analog circuits
Experience with ATE platforms (Advantest 93K, Teradyne UltraFLEX or equivalent)
Strong debugging skills combining hardware probing, firmware interaction, and simulation correlation
Proficiency with data analysis tools (Python, MATLAB, or equivalent) for characterization data processing
🌟 Preferred / Good-to-Have Skills
Experience with automotive-grade validation and AEC-Q100 qualification testing
Background in SerDes / Ethernet PHY / high-speed serial link characterization
Familiarity with BER testing methodologies for multi-gigabit serial links
Knowledge of ESD and latch-up testing for automotive-grade ICs
Experience with statistical data analysis for process variation and yield characterization
💡 What Makes This Role Unique
🔬 First Silicon Access You are among the first to characterize brand-new automotive silicon
🚗 Domain Impact Your validation directly determines automotive product quality globally
🔄 Full Lifecycle Ownership First silicon → ATE test → Customer qualification — from Bangalore
🤝 Cross-Domain Collaboration Work with design, firmware, systems & applications teams
🌍 Global Influence Your characterization data shapes future product generations
📈 Career Growth Unique combination of lab, system, and semiconductor product expertise

Work arrangement
No