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Integration Electronics and integration are the principal themes at SystematIC design. Not just integrating as many components as possible on chip; it is also about integrating customer specifications into working silicon, about chips that change your life too. Several of our recent designs were focused on chips that help save power or increase safety. Our designs make a difference! Several of our designs for large semiconductor manufacturers are currently mass-produced and are applied in consumer and automotive products. In a company, interpersonal connections are important. No design engineer can afford to be a lone wolf. Cooperation with colleagues and customers is indispensable to successfully progress from vague concept to a satisfying product. This is integrated in our company culture. We have an open, positive atmosphere in which people welcome new ideas, work together rather than compete, and where the threshold to engage in discussion is very low. Fields of activity SystematIC Design has a considerable base of international customers. Our activities are not geared towards a specific type of circuits and hence we can design (and have designed) integrated circuits for a wide range of applications and markets. Our designs include (but is not limited to) a wide variety of dc-dc converters, crystal oscillators, magnetic, optical, capacitive, X-ray, and temperature sensors, and RF front-ends. We have experience in both consumer, space, and automotive IC design. Design activities: our core business The principles of (analog) signal processing are largely independent of the technology that is used for implementation. In our company, we design in every possible technology: MOS, bipolar, BiCMOS, high-voltage, low-voltage, Silicon-on-Insulator and SiGe. It rarely happens that the technology in two projects is the same. For a designer, it is ideal when he/she can choose which technology would be most appropriate. Usually, however, the choice is determined by the price of the intended final product, or simply by what is available. Given a technology, we carefully assess its qualities and determine how these interact with the demands on the signal processing. Before a chip is ripe for mass production, a lot of steps have to be taken. We support our customers during many of these steps. Our first task is to determine whether it is feasible to satisfy the customer demands. There can be “hard” physical boundaries which make it impossible to realize the required functionality – after all, the laws of the universe cannot be violated. Ultimately, noise, speed (bandwidth), and the maximum levels of signals determine the signal processing capabilities of a chip. Practically, “soft” constraints are equally important. These can be of a technical nature, such as chip area, supply voltage or current, but also include commercial aspects, such as price and time-to-market. In the feasibility study, it becomes clear whether the envisioned chip can be implemented and if so, what system solution would be most appropriate and what the requirements are on the system building blocks. After this, the circuit design of the building blocks can commence. Usually, the most challenging circuits at the core of the system are designed first, while the more common circuits are tailored to support the core. Many of our designs involve sensors. Sometimes, even small changes in the design of the sensor can radically simplify the read-out electronics and boost overall functionality. This means that good knowledge of physics is also an important quality. It is important to be able to connect to both system and physics level. The design of a chip, as explained before, is more than just drawing schematics. We feel that the implementation is so important, that the designer of a circuit should also be involved in the layout phase of his/her circuit. When the layout is finished, it is sent to a foundry for fabrication: the moment of “tape-out”. IC processing usually takes between four weeks and three months, depending on the foundry and the priority of the design. After this, the chips are tested to see if they are functional, and if they meet the specifications. Due to our widespread connections in the semiconductor industry, the projects at our company are varied in nature. In our own laboratory, functional measurements on a small number of chips can be performed. For specialized measurements, or for qualification for production, external or customer test facilities are used. It is a long, steep and slippery road that connects initial idea to commercially available product. Therefore we are proud that numerous of our designs are currently mass-produced. The application areas of our designs are quite diverse and include communication devices, automotive and power electronics. Facts, figures, and people SystematIC Design is a young company, founded in 1998. Its true capital is its employees. Currently, there are twelve designers, two of which hold a Ph.D. degree. Our company is complemented by a variable number of students that perform practical work or graduation work at MSc or BSc level under our guidance. The company culture is nonhierarchical and informal, which is essential to be innovative. A designer who serves a customer is backed by an entire company. Our strength is in our sharing of experience and ideas. Our expectations from colleagues are reflected by the demands customers impose on us. We need creative, open-minded people that like to devise solutions for our customers. A passion for analog electronic circuit design is required, and the will to team up with others to solve problems. Technical ambition, a scientific approach, flexibility, and tenacity are also important. We are always looking for new colleagues that fit this picture: people that truly like to be an engineer. Interested?
If our story has aroused your interest and you consider working for SystematIC
Design, then contact us for an interview, either by phone or e-mail.
We look forward to meeting you. |
Microphotograph of DVD 
Generating ideas 
Layout of a temperature 
Prototype on a testboard |
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