RF Transceiver IC Architect (W/M)

Job function SCALINX is seeking an RF Transceiver IC Architect who will be in charge of deriving the specification and defining the architecture of a wideband RF Transceiver IC dedicated to wireless communications in the Ku band.
The RF Transceiver IC will be implemented in an advanced CMOS process and includes
functional blocks such as RF mixers, Low-jitter PLL/Clock distribution circuits,
Analog/RF conditioning functions such as filters and AGC, ADC/DAC, digital HW &
SW processing functions and high-speed data interface (SerDes).
The candidate will work closely with Analog/RF, Mixed-Signal and Digital development
teams to define the RF Transceiver architecture meeting customer requirements.

Work description

• Discuss, in close collaboration with the customer and internal product team, the
  system performance trade-offs of the complete signal chain including the RF Front End IC (PA/LNA, Beamformer), the RF Transceiver IC and the digital processing central unit.
• Derive the features and system specification of the RF Transceiver IC from RF to data interface.
• Define the architecture of the RF Transceiver IC and determine the noise/linearity budget for functional blocks of the Transmit (TX) and Receive (RX) path.
• Drive the definition of the boot sequence strategy considering the internal calibration sequences, voltage supplies on/off sequence, etc. to optimize the startup-time of the chip.
• Validate the noise and linearity budget of the RF Transceiver TX/RX signal path
  through model-based simulation.
• Define the simulation strategy of the RF Transceiver IC in close collaboration with the verification team.
• Drive the package selection including EM simulations to analyze the effect of parasitic, and thermal heating management to meet the performance requirement.
• Define with the layout team the isolation strategy to protect the sensitive analog/RF portions against the noisy aggressors.
• Contribute to the definition of the evaluation plan and production test strategy in close collaboration with the silicon evaluation team.
• Participate to design reviews
• Write documentatio

Qualification and Experience

• MSc or PhD in Electrical Engineering or equivalent with at least 15 years of
  experience in definition of RF Transceivers IC architecture including design and silicon validation of RF and/or analog functions.
• Hand-on experience in design and validation of RF functions such as LNA, Mixer,
  VCO, low-jitter clock distribution circuit, quadrature frequency dividers, etc.
• Good understanding of Oscillators theory and concept is mandatory.
• Experience in deriving system specification from a communication standard is
  mandatory.
• Deep understanding of PRO/CONS of state-of-the-art RF Transceiver architectures and practical experience in selecting an RF Transceiver architecture to meet system specifications is mandatory.
• Experience in deriving noise and linearity budget of an RF TX/RX signal chain is
  mandatory.
• Deep understanding of error mechanisms affecting the EVM of an RF TX/RX signal chain such as self-mixing effects, VCO coupling, I/Q phase and gain imbalance, RF coupling, RF signal leakage form TX to RX, reciprocal mixing effect, etc.
• Good understanding of ADC / DAC functions concept and digital signal processing capabilities.
• Good understanding of PRO/CONS of digital signal processing approach and analog signal processing approach to leverage the best of the two worlds.
• Good vision of the entire IC design flow with preferably Cadence IC Design tools.
• Strong leadership and communication skills to work cross disciplinary teams.
• Experience in product development cycles from concept to production
• Team player with a critical attitude and sense of initiative.
• Fluent communication in English (oral and written) is a must

How to apply

• If you have a passion for IC design and the ambition to create something different, it will be a great pleasure to receive your resume at [email protected]

About SCALINX

SCALINX is a fabless semiconductor company specialized in the design and supply of highly integrated semiconductor solutions for Communications, Aerospace & Defense and Industrial markets. We offer turnkey semiconductor devices, evaluation kits, and integration services, to help equipment manufacturers (OEM) solving their tightest signal conversion challenges. Our semiconductor devices integrate RF/Analog, Mixed-Signal and Digital HW/SW functions on the
same die or in the same package, enabling state-of-the-art RF Transceiver IC, Analog Front-End IC,
and RF SoC.

Our chips are built on proprietary and protected Smart Conversion CORE (SCCORETM) technology, allowing power-efficient analog and digital processing of wideband signals. The chips development are supported by our tree design centers located in Paris, Caen and Grenoble.

SCALINX is committed to diversity & equity, we aim to improve disability inclusion within our workforce.