Role: Embedded Engineer / Design Verification Engineer
College: Not Specified
Interview Date: 2025
Interview Type: Full-Time
Result: Not Specified
Difficulty: Hard
Rounds: Not Specified
Topics Asked: System Verilog (SVA, FSM, array initialization), Clock Domain Crossing (CDC), SPI protocol, Interrupt handling, Behavioral (team trust).
Experience:
This experience is compiled from a set of interview questions contributed by recent candidates and vetted by current Silicon Labs employees in 2025 for Embedded Engineer and Design Verification Engineer roles.
The questions indicate a strong focus on hardware description languages, verification methodologies, and embedded systems concepts.
Technical Questions:
- What approach would you use to formulate an SVA in System Verilog that guarantees a FIFO is cleared out before a read command is issued?
- Provide a Verilog code sample that initializes a 10x9 array to 0 at 0ns within an initial block.
- Explain the procedure for constructing a FSM with switch-case or shift register.
- Define SPI and elucidate how the SPI protocol functions. Additionally, what are the various SPI communication modes?
- How do you perceive the concept of clock domain crossing (CDC) and the obstacles related to it? (Answer provided: CDC is when data crosses between clock domains of different frequencies. Challenges include maintaining data integrity and avoiding metastability.)
- Could you highlight some of the common difficulties faced in interrupt handling?
- Describe the effect on 'out' when 'a' is given the value “1'bx”?
- Illustrate a coverage point within your verification environment and detail how you achieve its coverage.
Behavioral Question:
- In your experience, what's key to developing trust in a team? (Example answer: Taking small, finishable tasks, communicating progress and roadblocks, and coming up with solutions).
The questions suggest a need for in-depth knowledge of digital design, verification techniques, and common communication protocols in embedded systems.