Renesas Electronics

Sr Principal Electrical Engineer

San Jose, CALIFORNIA, United States · On-site · Full-time

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About the role

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EmployerRenesas Electronics
LocationSan Jose, CALIFORNIA, United States
Work styleOn-site
Employment typeFull-time
Employer posted1 month ago

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.

Show full description

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.

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 our Diversity & Inclusion Statement.

Renesas Electronics deals with dual-use technology that is subject to U.S. export controls regulations. Under these regulations it may be necessary for Renesas to obtain U.S. government export license prior to release of technology to certain persons. The decision whether or not to file or pursue an export license application is at the sole discretion of Renesas.

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