Silicon Bring-up Engineer

Project

Work done for a product or program.

• Own and rehearse the hour-zero bring-up checklist covering power sequencing, reset, clocking, PLL lock, fuse/OTP read and boot ROM entry.
• Execute first power-on of A0 silicon, measuring rail-by-rail current signatures and comparing against pre-silicon power estimates.
• Establish JTAG and debug-port connectivity, confirm IDCODE and scan chain integrity, and enable the on-chip debug infrastructure.
• Bring up the boot flow from boot ROM through bootloader to first firmware execution and instrument each handoff milestone.
• Diagnose no-boot and dead-die conditions by bisecting between package, board, power delivery, clock tree and silicon defect.
• Sequence IP block bring-up in dependency order — clocks, memory controller, DDR training, high-speed I/O, accelerators — and unblock downstream teams.
• Run bring-up war-room shifts with 24/7 follow-the-sun handover notes between validation sites.
• Capture bring-up learnings into an updated checklist and DFD requirement list for the next tapeout.
• Coordinate with the fab, assembly and product engineering to obtain and prioritise the first good-die samples.

Function

Work that keeps the discipline running: methods, tools, suppliers and people.

• Maintain test standards, test hardware and program libraries.General
• Work with equipment and probe card suppliers on capacity and capability.General
• Improve test methods and data tools for future products.General

Project

1. Produce and hand over the role's key deliverables
   • First-silicon bring-up checklist and hour-by-hour execution log
   • Power-on and boot milestone report for each new stepping
   • Bring-up blocker list with owners and workarounds
   • Updated design-for-debug requirements for the next tapeout
   • Handover package enabling validation, firmware and characterisation teams to start
2. Develop the test solutionGeneral
   • Define the test plan and coverage targets
   • Write and debug the test program
   • Design or specify the test hardware
3. Release to productionGeneral
   • Correlate results across testers and sites
   • Optimise test time
   • Release the program under change control

Function

1. Maintain test infrastructureGeneral
   • Keep program libraries and standards current
   • Plan tester and hardware capacity
2. Improve methodsGeneral
   • Review escapes and adjust coverage
   • Develop data analysis tools