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Why less job opening for freshers in VLSI
Steps to build your career in VLSI :
I would like to share my experience which may help in boosting your career in VLSI. If you are thinking to start your career in vlsi Semiconductor, then it could be a correct decision but to perform, you will have to keep few things in mind.
1. Always keep an eye on market, think what's coming in next 2 years.
2. Apart from office work, read technical books atleast for half an hour on daily basis. One can start before sleeping or after waking up.
3. Do not leave any technical work unfinished, try to understand the concept before implementation, do not make logic too complicated.
4. Always remember, the logic or block you are implementing, you may have to do upgrade it at some point of time, keep some space for this while designing the block.
5. A good design is a design which is simple to understand, easy to modify, less gate count and high in configurality.
6.Understand specification carefully, if you what to do.... discuss among your colleague ..high priority is that you may get some idea while talking to them..
7. Semiconductor industry always look ahead, a good professional knows what's coming in next 2 years, keep vision ready.
There are few basic fundamentals applicable for all Job interviews.
Step 1
Basic Fundamentals and concepts
- Concept fundamentals in Digital basic is must if you are going for Job interview in VLSI (In verification, design or physical design ).
- If Job opening for Physical Design , then fundamentals in layout should be clear. for example -
- CMOS Design
- Fabrication process
- Floor planning and routing
- Crosstalk handling
- Dealing with fast node
- Slow process , how to handle it.
- CMOS Characteristics
- Timing concepts like setup , hold timing
- If the Job opening is in Design , then digital fundamentals must be cleared.
- Digital Fundamentals
- Filp-Flop designing
- Muxing , 2-bit, 4-bit, 8-bit
- K-map
- Latches / Flops basics
- Timing concepts - setup and hold
- Design Flow , From understanding Specification to Generating bit file
- Sequential and Combinational concepts , where to use what
- Atleast one coding language - Either Verilog or VHDL
- Good to have concepts on C/C++
- System Verilog - Good to have
- Scripting language like TCL/Perl
- If Job opening for Verification , then below topics must be clear.
- As a fresher , All topics listed for Design opening must be clear.
- Must be having good command on system verilog, Class , Randomization , Assertions are one of them.
- Must be having 1 or 2 educational project in verification using OVM or UVM , now a days UVM is must if you are going for verification job interview.
- Concepts on Verification must be clear like how to build Verification env, Monitor, Driver, Sequence, Sequencer , Checker , etc
Short Term Courses
One should check the placement record before joining. These courses will increase your candidature for Freshers Job interview if compared with collage graduate but now a days , job opening for freshers in VLSI, very less in market.
Master Degree from Reputed Institute
While search for Job, Keep preparing for higher studies , try to get admission in BITs Pilani or IIT's for Mtech.
To get an admission in reputed institute , You need to clear entrance exam and interview also ( I know it is there in BITs PILANI).. Prepare for that and if you get admission then hopefully you wont need to hunt Job, you will get nice placement.
Keep Trying hard and keep Patience
Today , Job for freshers in VLSI is very hard , one has to keep trying and have to keep patience. Keep yourself up to market and read VLSI related news to update yourself.
Do not loose a single opportunity , Give interview with full confidence thinking this is last opportunity for you.
Try some project while searching for Job , choose topics from below listed project. There is one Simulator , which is free (with limited features) , Search Altera Modelsim in Google.
Design DUT and build verification environment and run simulation , at some point of time when you are giving interview , this experience will be useful.
There are plenty of Interview questions on Digital Design, google it and try to understand the logic and idea about the interview for freshers.
All the best to everyone , Have A Bright Future in VLSI
