How to become an IC engineer

First of all, as a beginner, what you need to know is the basic flow of ic design. The following points should be achieved: basic understanding of the system flow, front-end and back-end design and verification, the relationship between IC design and semiconductor physics, communication or multimedia system design, basic design flow of digital circuits and mixed signals, and basic industry models such as asic and COT. I think it is very important to cultivate interest and establish my future technical career plan. To learn the basic knowledge of design, I suggest reading some design textbooks of CIC in Taiwan Province Province, many of which are classic summaries.

Learning EDA technology: For IC designers, EDA tools are of great significance. Through the promotion of EDA tool manufacturers, we can learn new design concepts. Many IC designers in China are brought into the field of IC design from the perspective of EDA, and many designers have established basic concepts through the promotion and training of EDA manufacturers without contact with deep submicron technology. At the same time, it is also very important to identify and select tools for some difficult designs. If you want to have a high-level design, accumulating experience is a necessary process. It is possible to improve the efficiency of experience accumulation. The following points can be referenced:

1. Learn from some classic designs, many of which must be paid attention to when your design becomes a product. Some may adapt to the change of process parameters, some may speed up the switching process, and some may ensure the stability of the system. It is both beneficial and interesting to observe these details carefully by visiting the truth. Frequent communication between project teams, especially among project team members, can avoid making the same mistakes.

2. When you initially complete a design, you should do several checks: understand the changes of process and device model parameters of chip manufacturers, and determine the scope of parameter scanning simulation accordingly. Understand the actual use environment of the designed product, and correctly set the input conditions and load model of the system simulation. Strict implementation of design rules and processes also helps to reduce design errors.

3. In addition, it is necessary to exchange knowledge, pay attention to communication with the front-end or system, and deeply understand the design constraints. As a beginner, I often don't know much about the system. In addition to understanding my design task specifications through design documents and meeting exchanges, communication with the system and front-end is also essential for IC design. The so-called design skills are all based on understanding constraints. System or front-end design engineers can often give novices a lot of guidance.

This is a good way to consult the literature. Excellent electronic websites, such as China Electronic Market Network, China Power Grid and Electronic Engineer Community. This will be of great help to your improvement. In addition, it is faster to accumulate project experience in cooperation with the "old master". If you have the opportunity to participate in the training of some people with good design background, it is best to be interactive and have better results.

5. Pay attention to the communication with the back end and processing line: IC design is too complicated. In addition to establishing concepts with the help of EDA tool manufacturers, IC designers should also actively communicate and learn from the upstream and downstream of the design process, such as engineers and process engineers who provide back-end design services or processing services. For beginners, the back-end processor can often bring them some classic basic concepts, some mistakes that can't be made and other basic precepts. Some good back-end service companies can not only provide very strict design suites, but also give very useful mixed-signal design guidance to help beginners get off to a good start. Process knowledge is very important for the productization of integrated circuit design.

6. Pay attention to verification and testing, and be a "paranoid": the risk of ic design is greater than that of board-level electronic design, so the opportunity of testing is very precious, and the spirit of "paranoia" is crucial to the success of IC design. In addition to relying on the company's mature design environment, design suite and system specifications to ensure success, the importance of verification and a deep understanding of verification are the key parts for an IC designer to bear pressure and enjoy success. Because there are relatively few opportunities to slip, it is the only way for an IC designer to find more opportunities to participate in and understand the test and carefully summarize and analyze the success or failure of the product.

7. Importance of peer communication and working environment: The complexity of IC design and the rapid development of technology make peer communication very important. It is also very beneficial to participate in some discussion groups and industry meetings that suit your level. Through the communication between peers, we can also find the important influence of environment on IC design level. The financial resources of the company, the direction of products and the difficulty of the project can greatly affect the highest level that a designer can reach. Dialectical understanding of the relationship between their own technological progress and the environment will be a problem that domestic designers will encounter at a certain stage.