Hardware Engineer

Description: Designs, develops, and tests computer hardware, including computer systems, circuit boards, computer chips, keyboards, routers, and printers. Supervises the manufacturing, production, and installation of the parts. Designs and oversees the production of computer hardware equipment. Tests and re-tests parts to ensure they work properly. Identifies and isolates defects. Designs and develops the software systems that control computers. Designs and tests circuits and other electronic components. Tests work and refine processes. Integrates components into the final design. Evaluates the effectiveness of the design and change if necessary. Generates specifications for parts. Controls the efficiency of processes. Builds, tests and modifies product prototypes. Analyzes information and recommend appropriate hardware to users. Designs support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives. Specifies power supply requirements and configuration. Retrieves data for analysis of system capabilities. Experience with Hardware engineering software (Altium Designer, Orcad, Cadence Allegro) and Electronics tools (soldering irons, magnifiers)

Background/Need: Group develops advanced laser communications technology for many applications. Research in super conducting, single-photon-counting detectors, novel modulation formats, and coding supports the development of future high-data-rate, interplanetary laser communications links. These technologies support the most sensitive and highest rate optical communications links ever developed, enabling communication of several bits per detected photon across vast distances.

Responsibilities involve working as part of a team to develop digital communication hardware which requires FPGA-based digital processors that must operate robustly in challenging environments and interface with embedded processors.

Required Skills: - Experience with FPGA firmware development process is required, including VHDL and Verilog code development, simulation, synthesis, timing closure and FPGA verification.
- Candidate must be able to design and implement communication hardware based on high-level specifications.
- Experience with optical communications hardware is needed to support the group mission.
- Ability to work with system engineers and optical communications test engineers to support hardware development for space systems.
- Familiarity with flash-based memory interfaces such as SATA and PCIe is required.
- Proficiency in all aspects of FPGA design, specifically in-depth familiarity with Xilinx FPGAs (particularly the Virtex family) and in- depth knowledge of Synplicity, Xilinx ISE, and Modelsim.
- Experience with digital signal processing of optical signals, including understanding and FPGA implementation of coherent processing of heterodyne receiver outputs, high-speed forward error correcting codes, and interleavers
- Experience with space environments.

• This position will be onsite 3 days/week
• This position requires a Top-Secret clearance for the start of the project. Preferred candidate will have SCI eligibility, but any candidate must be willing to clear up to SCI.