Josh

Why I chose to study and work in Electronics

Some of the first games I ever played were puzzle games. As a child they were educational to improve maths, English or critical thinking. As I got older, I progressed into Minesweeper and other games.

While I do not play logic games often, they remain among my favourites: Sudoku and Minesweeper have always been satisfying to me because you fill in a grid of unknowns based on a set of very basic rules. In many ways, electronics is the same. The rules of design behind so many of the devices we use everyday share similarly simple roots but result in large and complex parts that can achieve so many things. I wanted to learn more about how this is done, and how I could get involved in it in the future.  These were key drivers behind my internship with onsemi.

My time with onsemi

I first discovered onsemi through the UKESF scholarship scheme and, shortly afterwards, applied for an internship. I didn’t really know much about what the company did, but the profile made it clear that there were opportunities for people interested in many aspects of ASIC design. I was lucky enough to be invited for an interview and the people who interviewed me were friendly and helped me relax when I was feeling nervous. I spent my time with the team learning about the design of image sensors, running simulations, and creating a test environment using UVM to verify a module.

As of writing this, I have been with the team for nearly two years as a graduate employee. I have worked as a team member with both the Digital Design and Verification teams: during this time I have been supported in learning new techniques for making efficient designs and new tools; debugging and analysing designs. I have learnt new languages and flows for writing scripts, as well as running simulations. I have written new tests and measured and improved new areas of coverage. I have received support through opportunities to design new implementations of blocks and algorithms. Throughout all this, I have seen the team’s consistent drive for continuous improvement and innovation to produce the best products they can.

What I enjoy outside work

When I am not at work, I am to be found either reading a book or rock climbing.