RF/mm-Wave GaN Power Amplifier Design Engineer

About the role

Falcomm designs energy-efficient power amplifier ICs and turns semiconductor innovation into products customers can build on. Our GaN and CMOS power amplifiers serve satellite communications, aerospace and wireless markets, and we combine deep RF design expertise with an AI-driven design platform to move from specification to finished product faster.

As an RF/mm-Wave GaN Power Amplifier Design Engineer, you will design GaN PA MMICs from customer specification through fabrication and packaging to a finished, shipped product. You will see each design through every stage and directly shape the products our customers fly and ship.

We are looking for a GaN product designer: someone who has already designed GaN power amplifiers that became shipped products, and who brings that experience to every design decision. You thrive in a fast-paced environment and enjoy hard RF problems.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop GaN RF and mm-wave power amplifier MMICs for SATCOM, aerospace, Wi-Fi and cellular applications, from concept through fabrication to mass production.
• Size devices, bias and matching networks through load-pull and large-signal simulation, then take the design through layout, DRC/LVS, parasitic extraction and electromigration checks.
• Perform EM design and simulation in HFSS on die, on package and on PCB, covering matching networks, transformers, couplers, baluns and interconnects.
• Write test plans that verify reliability and performance under real-world conditions. Work with the test team on bench characterization, correlate measurements with simulation, and carry the lessons into the next design.
• Work with packaging and assembly partners on package selection, thermal management and package-level EM.
• Present detailed design reviews covering the IC, package, EM, simulation results, measurement data and thermal considerations, and help improve our RF design processes.
• Collaborate with colleagues at every level of the organization, bringing problem-solving, data analysis and critical thinking to design decisions.
• Stay current with advances in GaN technology and power amplifier architectures.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field, with an emphasis on RF/microwave integrated circuit design.
• 3+ years of RF power amplifier design, at output power levels of 1 W and above, and at frequencies up to 60 GHz.
• Proven track record as a GaN power amplifier product designer: GaN PA MMICs designed from specification through fabrication to a finished product, with at least one product shipped to customers.
• Strong knowledge of power amplifier design, including modes of operation, matching, bias and stability, and architecture trade-offs.
• Familiarity with RF GaN device physics, including trapping, thermal effects and transistor models.
• Strong circuit design skills, with experience in IC layout, parasitic extraction (PEX), electromigration analysis, and linear and non-linear simulation of RF PAs to meet gain, linearity, power and bandwidth targets.
• Strong EM knowledge of passive components, including couplers, baluns and matching networks.
• Proficiency with Keysight ADS or Cadence AWR Microwave Office, Cadence Virtuoso, Ansys HFSS, planar EM tools such as Momentum or EMX, and Siemens Calibre.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Electrical Engineering or a related field, with an emphasis on RF/microwave integrated circuit design.
• RF/microwave design experience in the C-, X-, Ku-, K-, Ka-, Q- or V-band frequency ranges.
• Understanding of PA thermal and packaging constraints.
• Knowledge of RF transceiver architectures, digital communication systems, spread spectrum, single- and multi-carrier techniques, and modulation types such as QPSK, APSK and QAM; system-level modeling in Keysight SystemVue.
• Hands-on lab experience with RF test equipment such as spectrum analyzers, vector signal analyzers, vector signal generators and network analyzers.
• Python scripting for simulation automation and data analysis.