Cristian Mușat

Electronics & Hardware Automation Specialist

Active Context Profile: General Description
An electronics engineer hooked on silicon, hardware automation, and the fine line where analog meets digital. Since 2014, I've been diving deep into the integrated circuits world—from designing low-power blocks to breaking and verifying complex sensors.

Professional Experience

2019 - Present

Infineon Technology

Component Verification Engineer

Currently working as a Lead Component Verification Engineer, where I balance technical leadership and hands-on validation across several sensor development projects. In this role, I lead a three-member verification team, allocating tasks, conducting data reviews, and acting as a cross-functional technical bridge between the project manager and the engineering team. For an ongoing TMR magnetic sensor project, I authored the complete test plan, developed automated testing scripts in both LabVIEW and Python, specified advanced magnetic equipment such as 3D Helmholtz coils and electromagnets, and engineered automated data processing pipelines in Python and Excel. Previously, I served as the Lead CV for an automotive ASIL B barometric pressure sensor project, where I defined the verification strategy, architected the hardware setups, and developed test automation software in LabVIEW. My experience also includes working on an automotive-grade qualification project for MEMS silicon microphones under AEC-Q103 standards, where I designed interface PCBs, developed embedded firmware in C, and characterized wide-temperature mechanical test fixtures. Throughout these projects, I have also developed specialized expertise in high-sensitivity noise measurements and low-level current leakage testing.

2017 - 2019

Microchip Technology Inc.

Digital Design Engineer

As a Digital Design Engineer in the 8-bit Microcontroller Department, I specialized in mixed-signal design, RTL development, and pre-silicon verification. My core responsibilities included designing the digital interfacing and control logic between the microcontroller core and analogue peripherals such as bandgap reference, low-voltage detector (LVD), and brown-out reset (BOR) circuits. Additionally, I designed a hardware CRC module and drove the digital verification efforts by building SystemVerilog testbenches for the CRC, LVD, and Peripheral Touch Controller (PTC). I also managed Static Timing Analysis (STA) at the RTL level to guarantee timing closure.

april 2016 - march 2017 ( 1year )

Microchip Technology Inc.

Analog Design Engineer

As an Analog Design Engineer, I focused on transistor-level design, simulation, and IP integration for custom ICs. I successfully designed an Operational Transconductance Amplifier (OTA) and a Low-Voltage Detector (LVD), establishing comprehensive verification environments in Cadence Virtuoso ADE XL to validate all key performance parameters. Additionally, I participated in the development of a dedicated testchip, integrating a diverse suite of analog and power management IPs, such as LDOs, Bandgap References, Brown-out Reset (BOR) circuits, oscillators, and current mirrors, ensuring successful block-level interaction and robust operation.

november 2014 - march 2016 ( 1year 5 months )

Microchip Technology Inc.

Analog Design Intern

During my internship as an Analog Design Engineer, I built a strong foundation in transistor-level IC design and simulation. I successfully designed and simulated an OTA, a Bandgap Reference, and an LDO regulator using Cadence Virtuoso, creating testbenches focused on evaluating their AC and transient behavior. Moving into hardware validation, I designed a dedicated PCB to characterize an 8-bit microcontroller's ADC and DAC testchips. To streamline the evaluation process, I developed an automated test bench using Perl scripts to control laboratory instruments and interface with the test board, allowing me to precisely measure and analyze the devices' INL and DNL performance.

Education

2024 - Present

PhD Researcher

National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest

Researching electronic system solutions for mobile environmental monitoring stations.

2015 - 2017

Master's in Microsystems

Politehnica University of Bucharest

Dissertation project: Electronic measurement system for DC-DC converter parameters and linear voltage regulators

2011 - 2015

BSc in Applied Electronics Engineering

Politehnica University of Bucharest

Bachelor's project: Autonomous robot designed to help people with disabilities