PhD Student in DCO design (m/f/d)

Overview:

The performance of radar systems is strongly influenced by the performance of Phase Noise (PN) generated by the clock synthesis system. In state-of-the-art phase-locked-loops (PLLs), the oscillator is becoming the limiting factor in lowering the phase noise. In this PhD work methods have to be found to further improve PN performance by looking into various architectures, frequency options and technology constraints to find the optimal design and control mechanism.

Your tasks:

• Generate an overview of state-of-the art oscillator topologies

• Investigate different IP level properties like phase noise, power consumption, temperature dependency and their effect on system level behavior

• Investigate suitability for product design including robustness, reliability, area & power consumption

• Create different design alternatives showing improvement strategies for future generation radar products

• Participate in the dissemination and exploitation of the results (scientific publications, …)

Education and Requirements:

• Master in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Integrated Circuit Design or related fields

• Basic understanding of Analog & RF Design

• Experience with or a good understanding of oscillator design and main performance metrics like phase noise / jitter

• Familiar with different clock generation systems like PLLs and their influence on oscillator design

• Understanding of adjacent blocks like XO, Biasing Circuitry, Temperature Drift compensation, etc. would be a plus

• Strong interest in mathematical and statistical analysis

• Interest in pre- and post-silicon technology and analysis

• Experience with Cadence Virtuoso

• Experience with Electronic Lab Equipment and RF measurements

• Fluent in spoken and written English

• Excellent communication and presentation skills (internally and externally)

​ The contract is in part-time (80%), limited to 3 years.

Please note: The successful candidate may/will be responsible for security related tasks. The assignment may/will be in scope of security certifications, therefore a conscious and reliable way of working is necessary.

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