Career Options for ECE Studentsin VLSI and Embedded Domain

o Telecommunicationo Software Developmento Consumer Electronicso Semiconductoro Embedded Systemso Etc.

Types of Industry

o Product Based Company – Building their own product and selling it in market

o Service Based company – Building product, application or part of them, for other companies and their clients

Industry Based on Function

Telecommunications

o Telecom equipment R&D, manufacturing companies are purely under Embedded Systems and VLSI Industry

o Telecom Equipments built on embedded platforms with advanced micro processors called network processorsEx. Products: Modem, Routers, Switches, Firewalls etcEx. Companies: Agere Systems, Broadcom, Infineon and Cisco etc.

o Monitoring Network 24x7 Ex: Airtel, Idea, Reliance, Tata Indicom etc

Telecommunication Industry

Semiconductor/VLSI

o EDA Company – Electronics Design Automation Software developmentEx. Synopsys, Cadence, Mentor, Xilinx etc.

o ASIC Design Company – Application Specific Integrated CircuitEx. Texas Instruments, Intel, Cisco, Xilinx, Altera etc.

o FPGA Design Company – Programmable Logic Devices like FPGA and CPLD DesignEx. Xilinx, Altera, Tejas Network, Cisco etc.

o Fab/Foundry – IC manufacturing/fabricationEx. Intel, STMicro, IBM, TSMC, UMC, TI and Samsung etc

Semiconductor/VLSI Industry

VLSI Domain Tree

1. EDA Flow

2. ASIC Design Flow

3. PLDs Flow (FPGA/CPLDs)

Frontend Tools

Backend Tools

VLSI

4. Chip Fabrication

Frontend Flow

Backend Flow

Frontend Flow

Backend Flow

ASIC Design Flow

Physical design

Design Architecture

FPGA Design Flow

Design Architecture

Backend

o Software designed and developed to serve ASIC Design, FPGA Design, Analog Mixed signal and Circuit design community

o Software IP designso Etc.

EDA Flow

o Specialization is required in Microelectronics from some premier institutions

o Semiconductor fabrication plants (fab) is a factory where devices such as integrated circuits are manufactured

Fab/Foundry

Design Engineers

• ASIC frontend designer• FPGA frontend designer• ASIC physical design

engineer• AMS (Analog Mixed Signal)

designer• Library developer• IP design engineer

Verification Engineers

• Front-end verification engineer

• FPGA Back-end verification engineer

• Physical design verification engineer

• AMS verification engineer• EDA tool validation engineer• IP verification engineer• Board validation engineer

Opportunities in VLSI

EDA/CAD Engineers

• Software Development Engineer

• Software Test Engineer

• Regression and Automation Engineer

• Build and Release Engineer

Application Engineers

• Field Application Engineer (FAE)

• Corporate Application Engineer (CAE)

• Application Engineer

Technical Support

• Tech Support Engineer

• Product Application Engineer (PAE)

Opportunities in VLSI

Reliability Engineer

Fab/Foundry Engineer

Marketing and Sales Executive

Opportunities in VLSI

•Proficient in C, C++, Java•Data Structures•C/Java Debugger•Understanding of

ASIC/FPGA flow•HDL (VHDL, Verilog, SV

etc) Knowledge•Scripting Language

CShell, Perl, Tcl and Python etc

EDA/CAD Engineer

Skill Requirement

•Proficient in Digital Electronics Design•FPGA Architecture•RTL coding using HDL (VHDL, Verilog, System Verilog)

•Test bench writing using HDL•Verification Methodologies like OVM, VMM

•Protocol knowledge•Knowledge of ASIC/FPGA frontend tools (Synthesis, Simulation, FV etc)

•Scripting Language CShell, Perl, Tcl and Python etc

•Knowledge of C

ASIC/FPGA Frontend Design &

Verification

Skill Requirement

•Exposure with Cadence, Magma or Synopsys backend tools

•Digital circuit to transistor level design translation

•Floor planning, power grid analysis, placement and routing

•CTS (clock tree synthesis), DRC-LVS (layout versus schematic) closure, timing closure, signal integrity

•Layout design and verification•Scripting Language like CShell, Perl and Tcl

•Knowledge of C

ASIC Physical Design &

Verification

Skill Requirement

•FPGA Architecture•Exposure with FPGA backend

tools•Floor planning, power grid

analysis, placement and routing

•CTS (clock tree synthesis), timing closure, signal integrity

•Debugging on FPGA board•Scripting Language like CShell,

Perl and Tcl•Knowledge of C

FPGA Backend Design &

Verification

Skill Requirement

Embedded Systems

o Embedded system is combination of hardware (micro-computer) and software, either fixed in capability of programmable, Specifically designed for particular functionality Ex applications: Industrial Machines, automobiles,

medical equipment, Space, cameras, household appliances, agriculture, airplanes, vending machines, cellular phone, PDA and toys etc.

Embedded Systems Industry

•Automotive embedded (Includes robotics)

•Healthcare devices•Telecommunications

(Mobiles,2G,3G,4G,LTE, Data Communications)

•Satellite communications•Avionics (Aeroplanes ...)•Testing and Measurement

Sub Domains

Embedded Systems Industry Cont…

Embedded Systems Industry Cont…

o Embedded systems opportunity is expected to touch $36 billion in terms of the semiconductors by 2015.

o The jobs in embedded space will increase ten-fold from the current 60,000 professionals to over 6 lakh people by 2015.

-According to survey by Frost and Sullivan

Embedded Systems Industry Cont…

Embedded System Implementation

Embedded Software Engineers

• System software engineer (Kernel and RTOS)

• Application software engineer (Device Drivers)

• Software test engineer

Embedded Hardware Engineers

• Hardware engineer• Board (hardware) validation

engineer

Opportunities in Embedded

Application Engineers

• Application Engineer

Technical Support

• Tech Support Engineer

• Product Application Engineer (PAE)

Marketing and Sales

• Marketing executive

• Sales executive

Opportunities in Embedded

Software/Programming Skills

• Proficient in C ad C++• Data Structures• C Debugger • Kernel Programming• Device Drivers• Real Time Operating Systems

(RTOS)• Creative Thinking (to automate

solution)

Hardware Skills

• Basic electrical, electronics concepts

• Micro-computer/Microprocessor architecture

• Microcontroller Programming Environment

• Protocol knowledge• Sensors, actuators and peripheral

hardware• Electronic Circuit Board Design

and Troubleshooting

Skill Requirement

Embedded Market Data

Thank You!

Q/A