Mentorship Questions Why should I opt for a career in IC & System Design? How is the market growth in this area? What are the possible career paths for me in the IC & System Design area? What are the kinds of work that I need to perform as an IC designer?  How can I become a good IC designer? How is the Singapore semiconductor ecosystem? Pl. list some of the players in this area What does the industry look for in a fresh engineer? What is the starting salary for a fresh graduate in this industry? Is it difficult to become a manager in this field? Will I get a chance to go overseas? I am a Malaysian graduate diploma in Biochemical science student. I am interested in semiconductor field as I understand it has great prospect and like to know about how to make my first step into this industry like which course should attend? thank u. - Wayne Tan I have two questions: 1. Which career path has a better prospect: Digital IC Designer or Analog. As I see that there are more demand for Analog IC designer as compare to Digital IC designer. 2. What are the criteria to be an expert Digital, Analog or RF IC designer? Thank you - Winnie Mentor Question: What is the current and future challenges facing the semiconductor industry?       Name: Hua Ziyun, Email: huaz0001@ntu.edu.sg, Phone: 97599705  This is my last semester of M.Sc. in Electrical engineering with major in communication but as i see more opportunities in semiconductor industry in singapore i am thinking to switch my field and to join some semiconductor company . Is that good to switch at that time and is there any possibility that i can get some communications engg related work in semiconductor company? - Tarun Name: Lee Zhi Chien, Email: zhichien@nus.edu.sgMentor Questions: Dear Sir, I'm a current NUS undergraduate and will be in my third year next academy year. I would like to know in detail what benefits I can get for being a MIDAS member? I have interests in Embedded System, Micro-E and IC Design, may I know which path should I follow? Which one will be most rewarding in term of achievement and working prospect? I prefer to work in research and development, or frontier investigation on electronics devices.Thank you very much and hope to hear from you very soon. Name: T A Bharathwaj, Email: bharathwajrajagopalan@gmail.com, Mentor Questions: Where can i get internship and master thesis in IC design field as due to recession no one is hiring? Name: Victor,  Mentor Questions: Dear Mentor, I have applied for NTU-TUM Master of Science in Integrated Circuit Design and has received the offer. I have mixed feelings as Singapore electronic sector suffered badly due to economic downturn. There are many news of retrenchment coming from this sector. I am worried of the job security. May I ask how's the career prospect of an IC Design Engineer? It seems to me that IC Design is a very small market in Singapore, doesn't this mean an IC Design Engineer can only work for a very limited companies? Thank you for answering my queries  Name: Obed Iskandar, email: biskanda@usc.edu, phone: +1-614-599-0021, Mentor Questions: What's the best way to find a job in Digital IC Design in Singapore? I'm a USA graduates looking for opportunities in Singapore.

 

Just fill this with questions you think your visitors might have, as well as the answers

 

Why should I opt for a career in IC & System Design?

If you have "passion" to do chip design for electronics industries, you must opt for IC and Systems design as a career.

A high willingness to learn newer technologies with passion and perseverance will give you an edge amongst your peers.

 

Other reasons include:

a. Market growth/career prospects in this field

b. To be an ENABLER of disruptive technology trends

 

How is the market growth in this area?

The semiconductor market worldwide was 248 B$ in 2006. Gartner DQ forecasts a 9% growth this year (2007) and 12% in 2008. 

 

What are the possible career paths for me in the IC & System Design area?

You can become an expert in Digital IC design, Analog IC design, RF IC designs. On the Systems side, you can become an expert in Architect design, Firmware  design and SoC verfication and validation.

 

What are the kinds of work that I need to perform as an IC designer? 

1. Conceptualize, specify, design, simulate, test and debug analog/mixed/digital signal circuits in CMOS and/or bipolar technology for integration in products that meet targeted performance and cost objectives. 
2. Evaluate silicon and characterizes product. Prepare block diagrams, schematics, simulation results and design analyses for documentation.
3. Participate in schedule development. Works on projects and adheres to schedules and deadlines. 
4. Participate in design review and technical discussion for other projects.
5. Develop time estimates to accomplish tasks, goals and objectives, identifies issues negatively impacting schedules and resolves technical issues to ensure schedule and deadlines are achieved. 
6. Work with other areas such as Mask Design (layout supervision), product, test and applications engineering to successfully bring product to market.

 

How can I become a good IC designer?

 To become a good IC design engineer, firstly ask yourself if you are a passionate person who can follow your heart. IC Design requires multi domain expertise; domains include logic design, simulation, characterization, synthesis, floorplan, place & route, verification, DFT, signal integrity, thermal & power management etc. Good IC designers choose to firstly identify his/her mentors and work with the mentor for the first 2-3 years to understand how the development of a chip goes.

 

How is the Singapore semiconductor ecosystem?

Singapore has 14 wafer fabs (including 3 12' wafer fabs), 20 Assembly & Test facilities and around 40 IC Design centres.

These include the world's top 3 wafer foundries, top 3 assembly & test foundries and 4 of the world's top 10 fabless design companies.

 

Pl. list some of the players in this area

Foundries: Chartered semiconductor, SSMC, STMicroelectronics, Infineon

Assembly & Test:UTAC, STATS

Design companies & IDMs: NXP, Panasonic, Infineon, STMicroelectronics, Marvell, Broadcom, Mediatek, Altera, Xilinx

EDA companies: Mentor Graphics, Synopsys, Cadence

Local Companies: Bluechip technology, Advanced RFIC, FTD Technology Pte Ltd

 

What does the industry look for in a fresh engineer?

Generally, the industry looks for the following know-how in a fresh engineer

- Solid technical footing

- Understanding of basic electronic fundamentals

- Willingness to ask, learn and work in a team

- Leading then to specific areas of IC Design such as

    - IC Design (digital/analog) -> Normally first 3-4 years you spend doing basic design in RTL/synthesis/layout

    - SoC design -> You then move on to do a System on a chip for which you must have done atleast few block level designs

    - SoC integration -> After getting your blocks tested, you move on to integrate the blocks to make a full chip

    - Firmware and processor knowledge -> If you decide to become a Systems Engineer

    - Verification & Validation

    - Testing ( IC and System level)

 

What is the starting salary for a fresh graduate in this industry?

The Salary will depend on your calibre and fit for the job. If you fit very well, and the interview result is excellant, you could get anywhere between S$ 2.8K to as high as S$ 3.5K. If you are solid in fundamental concepts and show a good attitude with willingness to learn and adapt, almost all employers are willing to give you a chance, even if you do no have industry expereince. Remember, First impression counts!

 

Is it difficult to become a manager in this field?

 No, it is not. You can become a manager after you have gained good full chip experience ( atleast 5+ product development lifecycle experience) and if you have good team leading skills. You must have good communication skills with an ability to foresee areas where challenges will arise in the implementation.

 

Will I get a chance to go overseas?

Yes. As with other vibrant industries, IC Design too has a global reach. You can get to work with people across different nationalities and across various countries. 

You will need to communicate with your customers directly to understand their needs, requirements on design and provide the necessary technical support to them whether local or overseas. 

 

I am a Malaysian graduate diploma in Biochemical science student. I am interested in semiconductor field as I understand it has great prospect and like to know about how to make my first step into this industry like which course should attend? thank u. - Wayne Tan

 

Your first step would be to take training to get some basic electronic fundamentals. Then based on your interest and know-how, you can opt for courses in the specific field (in semiconductor domain) you would like to pursue your career in (list of some possible career options are listed above).

Various training entities in the market offer several courses (both short term as well as long term) in these areas.

 

I have two questions: 1. Which career path has a better prospect: Digital IC Designer or Analog. As I see that there are more demand for Analog IC designer as compare to Digital IC designer. 2. What are the criteria to be an expert Digital, Analog or RF IC designer? Thank you - Winnie

 

From your question, I assume may be you are fresh engineer who have decided to go into IC design and

are not sure which domain area to choose and specialise.

 

Both Digital IC and Analog IC offers equal career prospects. The trend will change according to global semiconductor

market demands and consumer needs. Do not be concerned about the trend. But ofcourse, seeing the trend and its impact to local job market opportunities is also important.

 

To become an expert in the chosen field,

 

1. You need to have solid engineering fundamentals in Mathematics and Physics ( Semicon basics, Device fundamentals and strong analytical skills are what the companies are always looking for!)

2. You should have a strong inclination to be in this field for many years, so that when you undertake a IC design project, checking to see if it works on Silicon is what will make you an expert in this area. Global Analog and RFIC design experts typically have more than 12+ yrs of experience with 5-6 IC's working on Silicon.

3. identify a good mentor who you can learn from and constantly allocate time to read your interested topics in your choosen field.

 

Finally, If you wanted to be in Digital IC design field, join a company that has a clear product roadmap to develop an IP/IC or an ASIC, for eg, it could be an IP for communication device or a full chip SoC for a cellphone.

 

 

Mentor Question: What is the current and future challenges facing the semiconductor industry?       Name: Hua Ziyun, Email: huaz0001@ntu.edu.sg, Phone: 97599705

 

I understand that you need this for your research on semicon industry; hence will provide you a few pointers and suggest you look them up to add on 

 

 

Pointers: (main categories: technology and biz challenges)

 

• Rising costs of technology development

   

• Increasing cost pressures (market)

   

• Technology complexities/barriers (technical capabilities that need to be developed to continue trends e.g. increased scaling. We are also beginning to reach fundamental limits of materials used in certain technos)

   

• Lag in adopting new technos

   

• Leakage power

   

• Tools & skillset not always matching up with technology advances

   

• Standardization, Innovation, IP development/protection

   

• Shortening market window especially in consumers market

   

• Shortage of skilled manpower

   

 

 This is my last semester of M.Sc. in Electrical engineering with major in communication but as i see more opportunities in semiconductor industry in singapore i am thinking to switch my field and to join some semiconductor company . Is that good to switch at that time and is there any possibility that i can get some communications engg related work in semiconductor company? - Tarun

 

The decision to switch should be made based on your mid-long term career strategy and your interests. There are some basic requirements/essentials for a fresher joining any industry - some for the semiconductor industry are already listed in some previous queries (pl. refer to FAQ).

 

You can get communication engg related work in semicon industry. ICs, systems etc. are all designed for various applications. You can leverage on your communication engg. background for devices designed for the communications space - datacom or telecom.

 

Name: Lee Zhi Chien, Email: zhichien@nus.edu.sgMentor Questions: Dear Sir, I'm a current NUS undergraduate and will be in my third year next academy year. I would like to know in detail what benefits I can get for being a MIDAS member? I have interests in Embedded System, Micro-E and IC Design, may I know which path should I follow? Which one will be most rewarding in term of achievement and working prospect? I prefer to work in research and development, or frontier investigation on electronics devices.Thank you very much and hope to hear from you very soon.

 

Since you state your preference in R&D, I'd suggest you to pick up that stream for your career. R&D can be in various areas. As your interest seems to lie in electronic devices, perhaps you'd like to look into R&D in semiconductor device physics, process technologies, new technologies or alternatively you can also investigate areas like embedded software, algorithms development in EDA companies etc. Each aspect of the semiconductor chain whether it is process development or new technology or product/IP development, involves research and development. Various events are organized in the universities, including NUS, where different companies participate and also where different scholarship and internship programs are promoted. You may find it useful to participate in these and follow up accordingly.

 

MIDAS membership has several benefits, you may refer to the website www.midas.org.sg for some details. Presently, MIDAS does not offer any individual membership i.e membership is for entities like companies, universities etc. NUS is a MIDAS member.

 

Name: T A Bharathwaj, Email: bharathwajrajagopalan@gmail.com, Mentor Questions: Where can i get internship and master thesis in IC design field as due to recession no one is hiring?

 

The economic recession indeed is not a period in which lots of companies are hiring. Under the circumstances, it is best to approach the universities and leverage on the various industry link-ups they offer. NTU-TUMS/GIST is offering a Masters in IC design. NTU and NUS hold regular industry recruitment fairs in which several companies participate and share the various schemes/programs they have for the students specializing in various areas including IC design. In addition, EDB has a LOTS program with come microelectronics companies e.g. there was a recent advert in The Straits Times of a LOT program with Infineon. Perhaps you may like to check that out too.

 

Name: Victor,  Mentor Questions: Dear Mentor, I have applied for NTU-TUM Master of Science in Integrated Circuit Design and has received the offer. I have mixed feelings as Singapore electronic sector suffered badly due to economic downturn. There are many news of retrenchment coming from this sector. I am worried of the job security. May I ask how's the career prospect of an IC Design Engineer? It seems to me that IC Design is a very small market in Singapore, doesn't this mean an IC Design Engineer can only work for a very limited companies? Thank you for answering my queries 

 

 Hi Victor,

 

Thanks for your query in the MIDAS Mentorship program.

 

It is indeed true that the Singapore electronics sector has suffered due to the economic downturn. The semiconductor industry, like any other, goes through a cycle (usually 4 years or so) and sees it highs and lows. However, this one has been compounded with the global recession and has been affected just as other sectors.

 

Having said that, there have been statements from some of the major industry players and analysts of the economy having more ore less bottomed out.

 

Singapore may be a small market as far as final products is concerned. However, as an IC design engineer, you will design chips and systems for the global market. Hence the size of the local market here should not be a limiting factor in your decision making.

 

In terms of the number of companies, you have a choice of several entities: Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDMs) like STMicroelectronics, NXP, Infineon, Panasonic etc., Fabless companies like Broadcom, Marvell etc., Foundries like Chartered, SSMC, UMCi etc.

OEMs and Contract manufacturers

Research entities

System companies and others.

 

Hope this helps in your decision making.

 

Name: Obed Iskandar, email: biskanda@usc.edu, phone: +1-614-599-0021, Mentor Questions: What's the best way to find a job in Digital IC Design in Singapore? I'm a USA graduates looking for opportunities in Singapore.

 

Hi Iskandar, 

 There are different avenues to help your job search. Some of them are;

- Try out various job portals

- Check the career tabs on the company websites for openings and apply

  You can also submit your resumes online at some of these places.

- Write to head hunters in this space.