hero

The Storyboard

Welcome to the Storyboard, a place to explore career adventures at start-ups and companies founded by Claremont alumni and the Claremont community. Choose your next adventure at a company where you’ll have an edge from day one, and leverage our Claremont network to build your career.

Also, make sure to check out our newsletter, StoryHouse Review, to find out more about these companies in the Claremont ecosystem.

ASIC Digital Design Engineer

AvicenaTech

AvicenaTech

Design
Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Posted on Oct 4, 2025

Avicena is a privately held company developing microLED based ultra-low power high bandwidth interconnects for chip-to-chip communications. This technology will revolutionize High-Performance (HPC) and Cloud computing, as well as other industries where low power interconnects are critical like camera sensors, autonomous vehicles, and aerospace. Avicena is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with a development center in Edinburgh, Scotland. The company was founded in 2019 by leading technologists from the optical networking industry with a track record of delivering breakthrough products. (www.avicena.tech)

About the role:

Avicena is seeking a skilled and enthusiastic ASIC Digital Design Engineer to join our innovative team. You'll be instrumental in developing high-speed, low-power digital integrated circuits (ICs) for our next-generation photonics and optical interconnect solutions. This role offers the chance to work on the cutting edge of silicon photonics, driving the future of data communication.

Responsibilities:

  • RTL Design and Coding: Develop and implement high-quality, efficient Register Transfer Level (RTL) code using Verilog or SystemVerilog for complex digital modules, ensuring compliance with architectural specifications.
  • Design Verification: Collaborate closely with the verification team to define test plans, review coverage, and debug functional and timing issues using simulation tools.
  • Synthesis and Timing Closure: Perform logic synthesis and work on timing constraints, static timing analysis (STA), and timing closure to meet frequency goals, power targets, and area requirements.
  • DFT Insertion: Incorporate Design-for-Test (DFT) structures, including SCAN and BIST, to ensure testability and high-quality manufacturing.
  • Linting and CDC: Perform extensive linting checks and Clock/Reset Domain Crossing (CDC/RDC) analysis to ensure robust, clean, and reliable RTL code.
  • Documentation: Generate clear, detailed technical documentation for design specifications, implementation details, and verification results.
  • Collaboration: Interface with architecture, verification, physical design (backend), and silicon validation teams to ensure seamless integration and successful tape-out.

Qualifications:

  • Required:
    • Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
    • Experience: 5+ years of industry experience in frontend digital IC design.
    • Expertise in HDLs: Strong proficiency in Verilog or SystemVerilog for complex ASIC/SoC design.
    • ASIC Flow Knowledge: Solid understanding of the complete ASIC design flow from specification to tape-out.
    • Tool Experience: Hands-on experience with industry-standard EDA tools for simulation, synthesis (e.g., Cadence Genus, Synopsys Design Compiler), STA (e.g., Cadence Tempus, Synopsys PrimeTime), linting, and formal verification.
    • Timing and Constraints: In-depth knowledge of timing constraints (SDC) and experience achieving timing closure in advanced technology nodes.
    • Scripting: Proficiency in scripting languages such as Tcl or Python for design automation.
  • Preferred (Nice to Have):
    • Experience with high-speed digital design, SerDes, or optical interconnects.
    • Exposure to forward error correction (FEC), scrambling, and other digital data communication techniques.
    • Familiarity with low-power design techniques and methodologies.
    • Experience with UVM-based verification environments.
    • Knowledge of photonics or mixed-signal IC design concepts.