Senior Principal RF PA Design Engineer for Cellphone & SATCOM Market

Location: San Diego, CA (Preferred) or Remote Employment Type: Full-Time or Contractor Work Authorization: US Citizen, Green Card, or Authorized to work in the USA Industry: High-Performance RF & Microwave Semiconductors About Finwave Semiconductor Finwave Semiconductor is a fabless semiconductor company, headquartered in Waltham (MA, USA) that uses innovative transistor designs and breakthrough process technologies to unlock the full potential of Gallium Nitride (GaN). Founded by prominent MIT innovators and driven by industry leaders, Finwave is shaping the future of RF Communications through revolutionary advancements in energy efficiency and performance for applications in markets such as aerospace and defense, mobile infrastructure, smartphones, medical devices, and cloud computing. Senior Staff RF Switch Design Engineer Finwave Semiconductor is seeking a Senior Staff RF Switch Design Engineer to lead the development of next-generation high-power microwave and millimeter-wave RF switches using our proprietary GaN-on-Silicon technology. The successful candidate will develop RF switch architectures targeting power levels greater than 100 W and frequencies above 18 GHz, while achieving industry-leading insertion loss, isolation, switching speed, power handling, and reliability.

Role Overview: As a Senior Staff RF Switch Design Engineer, you will be a technical leader for Finwave’s high-power RF switch roadmap. You will lead circuit architecture, design, simulation, layout, tape-out, characterization, and optimization of GaN RF switch ICs for aerospace and defense, RADAR, electronic warfare, SATCOM, test and measurement, and communications applications. You will work closely with Finwave’s device technology, modeling, packaging, test, applications, and product teams to translate our GaN-on-Silicon technology into differentiated RF products.

Key Responsibilities: RF Switch Design: Architect and design high-power SPST, SPDT, and multi-throw GaN RF switches for microwave and millimeter-wave applications. High-Power / High-Frequency Development: Develop switch solutions targeting greater than 100 W RF power handling and operation above 18 GHz. Circuit Optimization: Optimize insertion loss, isolation, return loss, power compression, harmonics, linearity, switching speed, bandwidth, and power handling. Device / Circuit Co-Optimization: Work with device and modeling teams to optimize GaN device structures for switching, including tradeoffs between Ron, Coff, breakdown voltage, parasitics, device geometry, and die area. High-Power Design: Analyze RF voltage and current stress, device stacking, nonlinear behavior, breakdown margin, thermal performance, mismatch conditions, and RF reliability. EM and Physical Design: Perform circuit and electromagnetic simulation of MMIC structures, transmission lines, passive structures, interconnects, and package transitions. Product Development: Own designs from feasibility and architecture through schematic design, layout, tape-out, characterization, qualification, and production release. Characterization: Perform on-wafer and packaged RF measurements, including small-signal and high-power CW and pulsed characterization. IP Development: Identify novel switch architectures and design techniques and contribute to Finwave’s intellectual property portfolio.

Qualifications & Skills: Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field. 10+ years of RF, microwave, or MMIC semiconductor design experience, with demonstrated RF switch design expertise. Experience designing RF switches using GaN HEMT, GaAs pHEMT, PIN diode, SOI, or related technologies, with GaN experience strongly preferred. Demonstrated microwave or millimeter-wave design experience. Experience above 18 GHz is strongly preferred. Experience with high-power RF circuits and the associated challenges of breakdown, thermal performance, device reliability, and mismatch conditions. Strong understanding of RF switch device and circuit fundamentals including Ron, Coff, breakdown voltage, FET stacking, nonlinear behavior, and insertion loss/isolation tradeoffs. Experience with MMIC design, physical layout, tape-out, and measured-to-simulated performance correlation. Expert proficiency with RF design tools such as Keysight ADS or Cadence AWR and EM simulation tools such as HFSS, Momentum, or Sonnet. Hands-on RF laboratory experience with VNAs, spectrum analyzers, power meters, high-power RF sources/amplifiers, probe stations, and pulsed-RF measurement systems.

Preferred Experience: Direct experience developing 100 W RF switches and/or switch products above 18 GHz. Experience with GaN RF switch design and device technology. Experience with RADAR, EW, SATCOM, phased-array, T/R module, or test-and-measurement applications. Experience with high-power mismatch testing, RF reliability, qualification, and failure analysis. Track record of successful RF/MMIC products from concept through production. Published technical papers and/or issued patents related to RF, microwave, GaN, or semiconductor circuit design.

What We Offer: Opportunity to develop advanced high-power RF switch technology using Finwave’s differentiated GaN-on-Silicon platform. Direct influence on both semiconductor device technology and product architecture. Collaboration with an experienced team spanning device technology, RF design, modeling, packaging, and product development. Competitive base salary, healthcare benefits, 401(k), and stock options.