Packaging / Senior Packaging Engineer (GaN)

Team – R&D Engineering

Location – Cambridge, UK

Contract – Full-time, Permanent

About CGD

Making Sustainable Power Electronics Possible

A spin-out of the Cambridge University, Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) is a fabless semiconductor company that develops a range of energy-efficient GaN-based power devices to make greener electronics possible.

The global power semiconductor market is expected to exceed $50BN. In addition to the multi-million seed fund and Series A and now B private investments, CGD has so far successfully secured four projects funded by iUK, BEIS and EU (Penta). The technical and commercial expertise of the CGD team combined with an extensive track record in the power electronics market has been fundamental in early market traction of our proprietary technology.

Bringing Innovation into Everyday Life

The environmental need for solutions to resolve the world’s most significant challenges (energy consumption and CO2 emissions) inspires us to contribute to society by preserving nature with energy-efficient power solutions.

With a mindset on pushing the limits of semiconductor (GaN) properties and an outstanding team of worldwide experts leveraging knowledge, IP, and decades of research, we demonstrate technological advancement by developing green solutions for everyday electronics, respecting our planet’s natural resources, and creating a more sustainable future for the generations to come.

Why Work for CGD

We Champion Commitment, Celebrate Empowerment, and Reward the Brave.

We are interested in change-makers with a passion for power semiconductors who are willing to explore unconventional ways to meet the company’s green agenda.

At CGD, we pride ourselves on putting empowerment and commitment at the core of our company culture. We offer a relaxed yet productive working environment where everybody is valued and respected and becomes part of commercial success while experiencing professional growth.

If your heart beats for innovation, challenge, and growth, and if the prospect of joining a friendly and game-changing company is for you, we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity

CGD is now looking for a Packaging Engineer or Senior Packaging Engineer (depending on experience) to join our growing engineering team. Reporting directly to the Director of Engineering, this is an amazing opportunity to join CGD at an early stage and help drive the packaging solutions for CGD’s GaN power products.

The Engineer will be responsible for leading the technical development of high performance and high-density semiconductor packaging solutions for CGD internal product development and public funded projects. This role will work closely with the GaN chip design team in R&D Engineering (design process), with the Operations team (packaging supply chain and support product qualification tests), and the Application Engineering team (to satisfy customers’ package requirements).

The role is based in the Cambridge headquarters but may also require the post holder to travel globally to subcontractors, partners and customers.

Main Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the Director of Engineering, the Engineer will be responsible for:

• Leading the technical development of high performance and high-density semiconductor packaging solutions for CGD GaN power products
• Working closely with both internal (e.g. GaN chip design team, Application Engineering team, Operations team) and external (e.g. packaging partners) stakeholders, both in the UK and overseas
• Surveying market for suitable packaging technologies in support of CGD product roadmap
• Driving package technology developments with suppliers to differentiate CGD products
• Conducting multiphysics simulations (finite element modelling) to analyse package and system level thermal performance, parasitic extraction, current spreading, electromagnetic fields and thermo-mechanical stress of CGD’s GaN power packages
• Designing wirebond, flip chip and embedded semiconductor packages, including wafer back end process modifications, to meet the product goals in terms of form factor as well as electrical and thermal performance
• Contributing to the development and enhancements of the design process, tools and methodologies to streamline the design flow for right first-time solutions
• Supporting semiconductor packaging verification and qualification tests, including driving the package related performance tests such as board level reliability, thermal characterisation etc
• Build professional networks to keep up to date with state-of-the-art packaging and process development in both industry and academia
• Conducting first article inspection and failure analysis in the labs in Cambridge as well as with external partners
• Supporting the Applications Engineering team and customers by providing packaging related resources such as package outline drawings, thermal models, PCB footprints, application notes and technical support
• Providing a significant contribution to the CGD product roadmap development.

Requirements

Skills and Experience

Suitable candidates for the Packaging or Senior Packaging Engineers role will most likely have a background in designing and developing packages for semiconductor applications. Any experience in power related products and/or designing for GaN products would be advantageous, but not a requirement.

This role might also suit a strong mechanical or electromechanical engineer, who has experience with 3D drawing, understanding the thermal aspects of design, and/or electromagnetic considerations.

Essential

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering, Physics, Material Sciences or related subject
• Solid experience with 3D Multiphysics Simulation (e.g. COMSOL, ANSYS or similar) for thermal, electrical and stress analysis by finite element modelling
• Experience of producing designs according to supplier design rules with a modern 3D CAD tool (e.g. SolidWorks, Fusion360, AutoCAD or similar)
• A solid understanding and/or experience with the thermal characterisation of semiconductor packages
• Good experience with semiconductor packaging related product qualification tests such as TCoB, MSL, TC, HAST and HTS according to standards such as JEDEC, IPC, MIL, AEC-Q100
• Adept at working and driving activities in cross-functional teams within the company and with external partners, including overseas teams
• Strong problem-solving skills and the selection and use of appropriate methods such as 8D, DOE, Fishbone diagrams etc
• Ability to take responsibility for managing their own tasks and deliver results on time
• Used to preparing, presenting and reporting results and ideas to team members, external partners and other stakeholders

Desirable

• Demonstrable experience in the design and manufacture of high-volume semiconductor packaging including working with overseas assembly houses
• In depth knowledge of power semiconductor packaging technologies, such as die-attach, Ag-sintering, flip-chip, wire bonding, PCB embedding and chip metallisation.
• Track record of  designing and simulating semiconductor packaging for voltages larger than 100 V, ideally for GaN power devices
• Experience with electromagnetic finite element modelling
• Experience in the selection and analysis of test methods for semiconductor packaging such as CSAM, X-Ray, shear tests, CT, EDX, EMMI.
• Formal project management training and experience including use of JIRA for task management and issue tracking
• Experience with managing public-funded collaborative projects

Benefits

• Excellent salary
• Share options scheme available (so you own a piece of the company!)
• Pension scheme (6% Company contribution)
• Life Assurance (3x Salary)
• BUPA Cash Plan (Level 3)
• Flexible working options (both location and times)
• Annual leave allowance of 33 days (including bank holidays)
• Training and development
• Cycle to work scheme
• IP bonus scheme
• Involvement in collaborative projects and grants with University of Cambridge and other partners
• Recruitment referral bonus
• Regular social events including frequent company lunches, annual summer party, Christmas party, team building and wellbeing activities

We believe in equal opportunities

It takes a diverse and inclusive community of passionate, talented and committed people to build a system to shape the future of power electronics.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all current and prospective employees regardless of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.

We believe that a more inclusive workplace, where people of different backgrounds work together, ensures better outcomes for all employees. We aspire to have a diverse workforce because, in our view, diversity enables better business outcomes. From application to interview, we place inclusion at the heart of all we do.

We are well set up for collaborative hybrid working, with some members of the team working in the UK office and some from home in the UK and other cities in Europe and Asia.