About the company
Join CERN's EP-ESE-ME section in the development of a radiation-tolerant microcontroller ASIC for use in future particle physics detectors and accelerator systems. The project is based on an open-source RISC-V processing core and the CERN SOCRATES framework for fault-tolerant SoC design.
Responsibilities
- Analyse application requirements across CERN's accelerator complex and particle physics detector systems to define technical specifications for the microcontroller ASIC
- Contribute to the architecture, design, and validation of a radiation-tolerant microcontroller ASIC implemented in 65 nm or 28 nm CMOS technology
- Support the definition of the SoC architecture, including the selection and configuration of an appropriate RISC-V processing core
- Design, integrate, and validate peripheral IP blocks within the CERN SOCRATES framework
- Apply fault-tolerant design methodologies, including triple modular redundancy (TMR) and single-event upset (SEU) mitigation techniques
- Participate in design verification activities and physical implementation, from RTL development through to tapeout
- Contribute to post-silicon testing, characterisation, and validation following chip fabrication
Requirements
- Strong understanding of digital logic design
- Solid experience with digital IC design and RTL development (Verilog/SystemVerilog)
- Familiarity with standard ASIC design flows (synthesis, place and route, timing closure)
- Knowledge of RISC-V architecture and its ecosystem
- Experience with microcontroller-based embedded systems development, including firmware programming in C and peripheral interfacing
- RTL design and simulation (Verilog / SystemVerilog)
- Microcontroller embedded systems development (firmware in C, peripheral interfacing, bare-metal programming)
- Scripting and automation (Python or equivalent)
- Linux/Unix working environment
- Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French
Conditions
- Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum
- Working hours: 40 hours per week
- Job flexibility: Fully Onsite
- Target start date: 01-January-2027
- A monthly net stipend of either 6372 or 7004 Swiss Francs per month depending on your degree
- 30 days of paid leave per year plus 2 weeks annual closure
- Coverage by CERN's comprehensive health insurance scheme, and membership of the CERN Pension Fund
- Family, child and infant monthly allowances depending on your individual circumstances