Job Description
Senior SiC Power Semiconductor Designer - Devices Cactus Materials, Inc. Tempe, AZ Job Details Full-time 21 hours ago Benefits Relocation assistance Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) Qualifications Power electronics circuit design Thermal analysis Teamwork 3D CAD modeling Master's degree Design engineering Physics Collaboration with manufacturing teams Simulation tools 3D modeling Electrical Engineering Semiconductor experience Manufacturing company experience Full Job Description Senior SiC Power Semiconductor Designer - Devices Company Overview Cactus Materials, Inc. is a dynamic, fast-growing Power and Photonic semiconductor startup company based in Tempe, Arizona. Our Power Division specializes in the cutting-edge design and manufacturing of next-generation Silicon Carbide (SiC) power semiconductors. As this wide-bandgap technology transforms the global power landscape into a more efficient critical power infrastructure, we engineer high-voltage SiC solutions designed for the world's most demanding environments. We move fast, solve hard engineering problems, and collaborate closely across device design, manufacturing, and customer integration to bring disruptive technologies tailored to specific customer needs. Our innovations enable global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to build next-generation equipment that power critical infrastructures, including AI datacenters, smart grids, solar farms, energy storage facilities, electrical transportation charging hubs and other power intensive industrial processes. We are seeking a Senior SiC Power Semiconductor Designer - Devices to lead the core innovation of our chip architectures. In this role, you will be responsible for the device physics, design, and fabrication integration of our SiC planar and trench MOSFETs, JFETs and diodes. Your innovations at the silicon-carbide crystal level will directly determine the efficiency, size, and reliability of the end systems manufactured by our customers.
Key Roles and Responsibilities Device Architecture & Innovation:
Lead the design and development of advanced SiC power devices (MOSFET, JFET, Diodes) across voltage ranging from 1200V to 20kV. Drive the transition toward optimized cell geometries to minimize area-specific on-resistance. TCAD Modeling & Simulation:
Perform comprehensive 2D and 3D Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulations (using tools such as Synopsys Sentaurus or Silvaco) to optimize ion implantation doses, device characteristics, including breakdown voltage, threshold voltage, forward conduction, and switching performance. Process Integration & Flow Design:
Collaborate closely with wafer fab engineers (internally and externally) to define and refine process flows. Optimize critical SiC manufacturing steps including high-dose ion implantation, high-temperature activation annealing, gate oxidation, and ohmic contact formation. Understanding of the traveler or runcard process steps for Diodes, JFETS, & MOSFETS to apply DFM guidelines. Edge Termination Design:
Architect and optimize robust high-voltage edge termination structures—such as Junction Termination Extensions (JTE), field limiting rings, and guard rings—to ensure stable breakdown voltage characteristics and long-term device reliability. Layout Design:
Generate device layouts, test structures, and full reticle floorplans using standard EDA layout tools. Implement strict Design Rule Checks (DRC) tailored for high voltage SiC wafer processing. Ruggedness & Reliability Optimization:
Design devices with superior ruggedness profiles, specifically focusing on maximizing short-circuit withstand time and Avalanche/Unclamped Inductive Switching capability to satisfy harsh grid and industrial environments. Characterization & Failure Analysis:
Analyze wafer-level parametric data and packaged device test results. Utilize high-voltage curve tracers and reliability testing infrastructure to validate TCAD models and lead root-cause failure analysis for device optimization. Minimum Requirements Education:
Bachelor's or Master's degree in electrical engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field with a core focus on semiconductor device physics. Experience:
5+ years of direct industry experience in the design, simulation, and manufacturing integration of SiC power semiconductor devices. TCAD Mastery:
Deep, hands-on proficiency with TCAD simulation suites (Sentaurus, Silvaco, or Synopsis) for drift region optimization, electro-thermal behavior, and transient switching analysis. SiC Physics Knowledge:
Thorough understanding of wide-bandgap semiconductor physics, including anisotropy, impact ionization, carrier transport, and gate oxide trapping mechanisms unique to the 4H-SiC material system. Layout Expertise:
Strong experience with layout tools (e.g., Cadence Virtuoso, Tanner L-Edit) and mask data preparation for high-voltage layouts. Communication:
Excellent technical communication and presentation skills, with a proven ability to cross the bridge between pure device theory and practical fab execution. Will be responsible to interface with the device manufacturers and foundry supply chain. Preferred Requirements Advanced Degree:
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Physics with a doctoral dissertation focused on SiC power device design or process technology. Trench Technology Experience:
Proven track record in developing or manufacturing vertical trench SiC MOSFET architectures, including managing trench corner electric field stress. Reliability Engineering:
Strong familiarity with industry qualification standards (such as JEDEC and AEC-Q101
) and specialized reliability mechanisms like Bias Temperature Instability (BTI) and Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown (TDBD) in SiC gate oxides. Application Alignment:
A solid understanding of how device parameters (such as internal gate resistance and parasitic capacitances influence system-level performance in high-power applications like industrial converters. Why Join Cactus Materials? At Cactus Materials, you won't spend years optimizing a legacy corporate roadmap or navigating endless layers of bureaucratic approval. Instead, you will help architect the next generation of wide-bandgap power technology from the ground up. This is a rare engineering environment where physics is challenging, the development cycles are fast, and the work genuinely matters. As a technical leader in our agile environment, your decisions will directly shape our device architecture, process development, and strategic direction. You will have true end-to-end technical influence spanning materials, devices, packaging, and system-level performance, directly defining the products, patents, and future of our company. Located at the center of Arizona's booming semiconductor ecosystem, we offer competitive compensation and a collaborative culture built for innovators. If you are looking for a career-defining opportunity to design technology that reshapes the global power infrastructure for decades to come, Cactus Materials is where you belong. Benefits:
401(k) Dental insurance Health insurance Relocation assistance Work Location:
In person
