"Team Lead and Test Chip Architect"

As Test Chip architect, you will be responsible with your team for the design of relevant demonstrators for technology pathfinding, with strong focus on new memories, including embedded DRAMs, ferroelectric RAMs, 3D dense memories.

What you will do

In this position, you will be part of the imec department leading pathfinding and development of next generation technologies, looking at the most advanced devices and systems. As Test Chip architect, you will be responsible with your team for the design of relevant demonstrators for technology pathfinding, with strong focus on new memories, including embedded DRAMs, ferroelectric RAMs, 3D dense memories. This includes the definition and strategy of the test chip for technology assessment, the specifications of relevant test structures, the measurement and characterization strategy, the planning of the tape-out and the follow up of all the necessary tape-out qualifications. The small and agile tape-out team interacts with the integration and device teams, testing teams, and System/Design-Technology Co-Optimization (STCO/DTCO) teams in order to drive the test chip project to success. You are an agile and positive team player, able to understand requirements from different interfaces, and you enjoy project management. You enjoy people interactions and care for individuals and for common success.

Your activities and responsibilities will include:

• Small team management.
• Test chip demonstrator definition and specifications.
• Tape-out planning and project management.
• Hands-on circuit development.
• Measurement and characterization strategy.
• Tape-out verification/ qualification.
• Participation in the design of some parts in the demonstrator and final GDS delivery.

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process; not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth.

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a market appropriate salary with many fringe benefits.

Who you are

The ideal candidate will have Master degree in Electronics with at least 5 years relevant industrial or academic experience in circuit design.

You have a mixed-signal or digital circuit design background and brought your circuit design to hardware.

You have project management experience in particular for leading tape-outs.

Understanding of the basic functioning and characteristics of emerging memories.

You are acquainted with circuit design tools, including layout and circuit simulation (Virtuoso IC design, Hspice, Calibre DRC/LVS,…).

You are acquainted with measurement equipment. You can understand their limitations and take those into account in your design for test strategy.

Experience with either PCB, demo board design or FPGA programming is a plus.

Experience with automatic, semi-automatic probe-stations or manual probe measurement and notions on probe pad layouts and probecard design is a plus.

You have worked in multi-disciplinary teams, ideally both interacting with hardware designers as well as EDA vendors and foundry partners.

You have a critical mindset, eager to explore new challenges in the future and evolve together with the changing R&D demands.

You are an open and constructive team player. Team lead experience is a plus.

Job details

Title: Team Lead and Test Chip Architect

Employer: imec

Location: Kapeldreef 75 Leuven, Belgium

Published: 2025-06-16

Application deadline: Unspecified

Job type: Engineer, Management / Leadership

Field: Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Strategic Management, Project Management