STA Engineer || Location – San Diego, CA ( ONSITE ) || Employment type - contract
Job Description:
We are hiring Static Timing Analysis engineers to strengthen the timing signoff team supporting a leading SoC manufacturer on advanced-node designs. In this role you will own timing constraints, drive block- and full-chip timing closure across all modes and corners, and collaborate closely with the physical design, synthesis, and DFT teams to deliver clean, silicon-ready timing signoff.
The ideal candidate has strong fundamentals in static timing analysis, hands-on experience with industry signoff tools, and a proven track record of closing timing on complex, high-frequency designs at advanced FinFET technology nodes.
Key Responsibilities
Timing constraints (SDC): Develop, review, validate, and maintain timing constraints — clock definitions, generated clocks, I/O delays, false paths, multicycle paths, and clock-domain-crossing (CDC) exceptions — and ensure constraint consistency and quality.
Timing signoff: Perform block-level and full-chip static timing analysis and signoff using Synopsys PrimeTime / PrimeTime SI (and/or Cadence Tempus) across a full multi-mode multi-corner (MMMC) setup.
Timing closure: Analyze and close setup, hold, recovery/removal, and transition/capacitance violations; generate and implement timing ECOs and coordinate fixes with the place-and-route team.
Signal integrity: Run crosstalk delay and noise (SI) analysis, identify and resolve SI-induced violations, and correlate with extraction and physical data.
- Parasitic correlation: Set up and validate RC parasitic extraction and SPEF (StarRC / Quantus QRC), manage RC corners, and ensure extraction-vs-signoff correlation.
- Variation-aware analysis: Apply OCV / AOCV / POCV (SOCV) derating methodologies and drive accurate margin-aware signoff.
- Hierarchical timing: Build and validate timing abstracts / interface models (ETM / ILM), perform interface timing budgeting, and support top-level integration for hierarchical designs.
- Low-power timing: Handle UPF-based multi-voltage / multi-power-domain designs, including level shifters, isolation cells, and power-aware timing checks.
- Flow & automation: Automate and enhance timing analysis and ECO flows using TCL / Python / Perl; improve turnaround time and reporting.
- Collaboration & signoff quality: Work with synthesis, P&R, CTS, DFT, and IR/EM teams; document methodology, present timing reviews, and provide silicon-ready signoff sign-off criteria and reports.
Required Skills & Experience (Must-Have)
- Strong fundamentals in static timing analysis — setup/hold, recovery/removal, timing arcs, slack, path groups, clock latency, uncertainty, and derating concepts.
- Hands-on experience with Synopsys PrimeTime / PrimeTime SI for block and/or full-chip timing signoff.
- Proficiency in SDC constraint development, debug, and validation (clocks, I/O timing, exceptions, CDC).
- Experience with MMMC (multi-mode multi-corner) analysis and closure.
- Understanding of OCV / AOCV / POCV variation-aware timing methodologies.
- Working knowledge of crosstalk / signal-integrity analysis and noise closure.
- Familiarity with parasitic extraction and SPEF (StarRC / Quantus QRC) and RC corner concepts.
- Solid understanding of the physical design flow — synthesis, place-and-route, and clock tree synthesis — and its interaction with timing.
- Exposure to advanced technology nodes (16nm / 7nm / 5nm / 3nm FinFET).
- Strong scripting skills in TCL (mandatory); Python or Perl for flow automation.
- Good debugging skills, clear communication, and the ability to work in a cross-functional, delivery-driven team.
Good-to-Have Skills
- Experience with Cadence Tempus / Quantus signoff tools.
- Low-power design exposure — UPF, power domains, level shifters, and isolation cells.
- Hierarchical timing signoff, timing budgeting, and ETM / ILM model generation and validation.
- IR-drop / electromigration awareness and exposure to Ansys RedHawk / Cadence Voltus (rail-aware timing).
- DFT timing knowledge — scan, ATPG, and test-mode (shift/capture) timing closure.
- Formal SDC / constraint verification tools and glitch / dynamic-power awareness.
- Experience across multiple full tapeouts from RTL-to-GDSII signoff perspective.
Experience Levels
Candidates across the 3–8 year band are welcome. Depth of ownership and independence are expected to scale with experience:
Experience
3 – 5 years
- Block-level SDC development and timing closure; setup/hold and SI debug.
- Timing ECO generation and support under guidance; extraction and MMMC runs.
- Contributes to flow scripts and signoff reports.
5 – 8 years
- Independent ownership of full-chip / hierarchical timing signoff and closure.
- Interface timing budgeting, ETM/ILM modeling, and methodology/flow definition.
- Drives complex ECO closure, reviews constraints, and mentors junior engineers.
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