Principal Semiconductor Device Engineer - Somerville, United States
Originally posted 22 December 2025 by the employer.
About the role
Vertical Semiconductor is seeking a Principal Semiconductor Device Engineer to serve as a senior technical contributor in the development and commercialization of vertical GaN power device technology. The role operates across device architecture, process development, modeling, and characterization in Somerville, MA.
What you'll do
- Lead the definition and evolution of device architectures, performance targets, and design trade-offs for vertical GaN power devices. - Plan and execute device development programs in shared fabs and external foundries, including technology transfer and process co-development. - Drive device modeling, simulation, and analytical understanding to guide design optimization, scaling strategies, and reliability improvements. - Partner with internal and external teams on CMOS-compatible GaN process integration, yield learning, and manufacturability. - Oversee and interpret on-wafer and discrete device characterization, including DC, CV, dynamic, and high-power testing. - Develop and review GDS layouts, test structures, and evaluation vehicles to support device learning and validation.
What you'll need
- PhD or equivalent industry experience in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or Device Engineering with approximately 15–25 years of professional R&D experience in semiconductor device development. - Extensive experience with power device design in GaN and/or SiC, including vertical device concepts. - Strong proficiency in TCAD simulation for device physics, scaling, and optimization. - Proven experience working in shared fab and foundry environments, including external technology transfers. - Hands-on experience with GDS layout, test structure design, and automated DC/CV/dynamic on-wafer testing. - Advanced data analysis skills using Python, MATLAB, or equivalent tools.
Skills: vertical GaN, TCAD, power devices, device architecture, technology transfer, wide-bandgap
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 71-day median for Compound Semiconductor Engineering roles.
Compound Semiconductor Engineering · Compound Semiconductor
|
Open roles in category
59
|
Median days open
71 d
|
Median salary
—
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Vertical Semiconductor | All employers we track in this specialty (59 roles · 24 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 2 | 59 |
| Median days open | 0 d | 71 d (−71 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | — |
Skills observed across this category: vertical GaN, TCAD, power devices, device architecture, technology transfer, wide-bandgap
Who's hiring in this category
- Infineon Technologies · 9 open roles · median 42 d
- Coherent Corp · 7 open roles · median 120 d
- Lumentum · 6 open roles · median 107 d
- STMicroelectronics · 4 open roles · median 67 d
- Texas Instruments · 4 open roles · median 41 d
- Nexperia · 3 open roles · median 121 d
How we counted: 59 open Compound Semiconductor Engineering (Compound Semiconductor) roles from 24 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 22 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there. Figures refresh nightly.