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Modeling >> Semiconductor Devices >> Device engineer
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Message started by A_Programmer on Jul 4^th, 2006, 2:19am

Title: Device engineer
Post by A_Programmer on Jul 4^th, 2006, 2:19am

Hi all,

Sorry if I am asking this question in the wrong forum but I really want to know what kind of jobs a person majoring in semiconductor device can do. What are their daily activities? Thanks.

Title: Re: Device engineer
Post by Geoffrey_Coram on Jul 7^th, 2006, 7:28am

Here are three possibilities:
1) device characterization engineer: spend your day taking measurement of silicon and optimizing parameter sets for simulation with eg BSIM3; you might also design and lay out test chips

2) process development engineer: work on improving devices: change doping profiles, process recipe, mask layouts, etc. to change the electrical behavior of devices; or figure out how to add new devices (eg add BJTs to CMOS process)

3) spice programmer: add new equations to a spice simulator to allow simulation of new device characteristics or new features of advanced cmos processes

There are other possibilities, too, I expect. I spend some of my time doing 3.

Title: Re: Device engineer
Post by A_Programmer on Jul 11^th, 2006, 11:38pm

Thanks a lot. (1) and (3), especially (3), are really interesting to me. I have heard that a phD is necessary. Is it true? What skill sets are required?

Title: Re: Device engineer
Post by Geoffrey_Coram on Jul 13^th, 2006, 8:35am

I have a PhD, but it's not required for (3). What *is* required is a maniacal attention to details and the ability to get equations -- and especially derivatives -- rigorously correct.

It doesn't hurt to have a PhD, and it would help to have a reasonable understanding of device physics, like what the diode I(v) equation is, etc.