Ph.D. Intern - Silicon Photonics & Optical Communications - United States
$37 - $73 USD yearly
Originally posted 10 September 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves the design and research of silicon photonics and optical communications, focusing on components and systems for high-speed data infrastructure.
What you'll do
- Design, simulate, and characterize silicon photonics components and subsystems, including modulators, photodetectors, waveguides, and optical engines.
- Develop and validate DSP algorithms for high-speed optical links, including equalization, FEC, and signal integrity techniques for PAM4 and coherent modulation formats.
- Work on optical system modeling and link budget analysis for data center interconnect, co-packaged optics, and near-packaged optics applications.
- Collaborate with analog IC design, packaging, and systems engineering teams for integrated transceiver solutions.
- Characterize and validate designs in the lab using high-speed test equipment, optical measurement tools, and silicon bring-up setups.
- Present research findings and design results to the engineering team.
What you'll need
- Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field, with a research focus in photonics, optical communications, or high-speed signal processing.
- Research experience in one or more of the following: silicon photonics device design and simulation, optical transceiver systems, coherent or direct-detect optical communications, or DSP algorithm development for high-speed links.
- Strong fundamentals in photonics and electromagnetics, including waveguide theory, modulator physics, photodetector design, or optical link analysis.
- Proficiency with simulation and modeling tools such as FDTD, MODE, Lumerical, MATLAB, or equivalent.
- Ability to communicate research findings and design tradeoffs clearly.
Nice to have
- Experience with PAM4 or coherent modulation formats, FEC, or DSP equalization techniques for optical links.
- Familiarity with silicon photonics fabrication processes and design-for-manufacturing considerations in advanced CMOS-compatible platforms.
- Exposure to co-packaged optics, near-packaged optics, or optical engine integration for high-density interconnects.
- Lab experience with high-speed optical or electrical test and measurement equipment.
- Familiarity with analog IC design or mixed-signal circuits as they relate to optical transceiver front-ends (TIAs, laser drivers, modulators).
Skills: silicon photonics, optical communications, DSP algorithms, co-packaged optics
This role has been open 24 days — well below the 67-day median for Optical/Photonics IC Design roles.
Optical/Photonics IC Design · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
133
|
Median days open
67 d
|
Median salary
$195k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Marvell Technology | All employers we track in this specialty (133 roles · 33 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 7 | 133 |
| Median days open | 151 d | 67 d (+84 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $195k |
Skills observed across this category: silicon photonics, optical communications, DSP algorithms, co-packaged optics
Who's hiring in this category
- Lightmatter · 18 open roles · median 81 d
- GlobalFoundries · 16 open roles · median 67 d
- Coherent Corp · 15 open roles · median 75 d
- Lumentum · 9 open roles · median 62 d
- Keysight Technologies · 7 open roles · median 31 d
- Marvell Technology (this employer) · 7 open roles · median 151 d
How we counted: 133 open Optical/Photonics IC Design (Photonics) roles from 33 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 5 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there. Figures refresh nightly.