Hardware Design and Power Electronics

Role Summary

We are looking for an experienced Hardware System Lead with strong expertise in power electronics, SiC MOSFET switching systems, high-voltage/high-current hardware design, gate-driver circuits, protection design, hardware interfaces and validation. The role supports development and validation of dynamic power semiconductor test benches used for short-circuit, double/multi-pulse and unclamped inductive load test scenarios.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead system-level understanding and review of high-power semiconductor test hardware, including power paths, energy storage, switching stages, protection circuits and control interfaces.
• Analyze DC-link capacitor banks, pre-charge/discharge circuits, load inductors, snubber circuits, high-current switching paths and safe energy handling during normal and fault conditions.
• Review SiC MOSFET / IGBT switching behavior, including dv/dt, di/dt, voltage overshoot, ringing, parasitic-loop impact and safe operating margin.
• Review gate-driver design including gate voltage levels, ON/OFF gate resistance, Miller clamp, negative gate bias, DESAT/overcurrent protection, soft shutdown, isolation and CMTI margin.
• Analyze and improve fast protection circuits for high-energy test conditions, including short-circuit protection, dI/dt and dV/dt-based fault detection, fault latch/reset and safe shutdown strategy.
• Define hardware interface requirements for control boards and automation systems, including signal conditioning, isolation, level shifting, relay/switch drive, feedback signals, interlocks and diagnostics.
• Support board-level and system-level bring-up, debugging, root-cause analysis, validation planning and robustness testing for high-power test systems.
  
  

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 7–10 years of experience in power electronics hardware design, high-voltage/high-current systems, semiconductor test hardware or high-power test instrumentation.
• Strong knowledge of SiC MOSFET and IGBT switching behavior, gate drivers, DC-link design, protection circuits, transient effects and energy-flow analysis.
• Experience in schematic review, interface definition, signal-conditioning review, isolation review, board bring-up, hardware debugging and system-level validation.
• Ability to define test sequences and hardware-state transitions for automated test execution, including fault handling and safe-state behavior.
• Good understanding of parasitic inductance/capacitance effects, grounding, cable/connector selection, signal integrity and EMC/EMI considerations in power electronics systems.
  
  

Good to Have

• Exposure to dynamic semiconductor test methods such as double-pulse testing, short-circuit testing, multi-pulse testing, UIL/avalanche testing and high-current pulse testing.
• Awareness of safety/interlock systems, CE/SEMI compliance readiness and validation practices for high-power equipment.
• Familiarity with tools such as LTspice, PLECS, MATLAB/Simulink, Altium, Cadence, Mentor or equivalent schematic/PCB review environments.
  
  

Expected Deliverables

• Hardware architecture review, power path and energy-flow analysis, gate-driver/protection review, interface requirements, validation plan, debug reports and design-improvement recommendations.
  
  

Role Impact

This role is critical for ensuring safe, reliable and robust operation of high-power SiC MOSFET dynamic test platforms by improving protection reliability, switching performance, hardware robustness and readiness for automated test execution.