Murata Finland’s ASIC Team is responsible for designing and developing ASICs for MEMS sensors. The team has deep and specific expertise in ASICs for acceleration and angular velocity sensors.

ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) is an essential part of Murata’s sensor products. ASICs are required to convert data from our high-performance sensors into digital format for end customers’ use.

An ASIC project typically consists of the following tasks:

• Defining requirements for the ASIC and creating an ASIC specification document based on those requirements.
• Selecting a suitable ASIC process, area, and test time estimations.
• Scheduling the ASIC project and calculating product development costs.
• Electronic design of the analog part of the ASIC and writing RTL code for the digital part.
• Extensive verification simulations at different hierarchical levels.
• Designing and verifying circuit layout.
• Defining characterization measurements of the ASIC and analyzing results.
• Establishing production test requirements at wafer level.
• Improving yields in wafer-level testing in collaboration with Software and Quality Engineers.
• Performing various data analysis tasks.
• Providing customer support when necessary.

We asked the team leader to tell us a bit more about the team.

What skills are needed in your team?

All members of the ASIC team must have a basic understanding of signal processing as well as sensors and applications. In addition to this foundational knowledge, various skills are required based on each team member’s area of responsibility. For example, using ASIC design tools is a fundamental skill; however, different tools are used in analog design compared to digital design, necessitating distinct skills. Depending on their role, planning and management skills for projects or outsourcing may also be necessary. Regardless of their role, everyone must be capable of independently problem-solving, working effectively in teams, and planning own work at a detailed level. According to one team member, “the job requires good nerves and planning.”

What is the best part of your work?

In the ASIC team, you have the opportunity to influence the performance, competitiveness, and usability of Murata’s products. While there is a significant amount of independent work involved, there is a strong team spirit within the group where we always support each other when needed.

Some highlights mentioned by our team members include:

• A diverse range of tasks that require continuous learning.
• Challenging projects focused on developing top-class sensors for demanding automotive applications.
• Significant impact on product costs and features.
• Strong team spirit.

How do you apply Murata’s corporate philosophy and cultural etiquette?

We serve customers by delivering optimized solutions with our ASICs tailored to their needs. We are continually seeking better solutions and striving to be innovative.

In the ASIC team, we respect each other in line with Murata’s corporate philosophy and cultural etiquette. We maintain good team spirit by working together in the office once a week – even though work can otherwise be done remotely with Teams meetings.