About the role
You will validate photonics sub-systems and packaged opto-electronic modules, building test infrastructure from the ground up and driving failure analysis from component level through module level. The position focuses on optical and electro-optic testing, EIC control, and coherent communications validation.
What you'll do
- Build test benches and automated test setups from scratch for photonics systems, components, and packaged opto-electronic devices.
- Design, execute, and refine test plans and validation methodologies across wafer, chip, eval board, and sub-module levels.
- Perform spectrum analysis, noise analysis, FFT-based signal analysis, and passive optical testing including insertion loss, return loss, and wavelength response.
- Validate coherent communication systems and modules such as coherent receivers and DSP-linked subsystems.
- Lead failure analysis to root-cause device and system failures across optical, electrical, and firmware layers.
- Analyze and visualize test data using Python or MATLAB to characterize device performance and track trends.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics, or a related field (Master's or Ph.D. welcome).
- 3–7 years of relevant industry or applied research experience in photonics validation, optical testing, or opto-electronic systems.
- Hands-on experience testing photonic or opto-electronic components, subsystems, or packaged modules.
- Demonstrated experience building test benches, fixtures, or automated test setups from the ground up.
- Hands-on experience with optical and electrical lab equipment, including spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, network analyzers, and optical power meters.
- Proficiency in data analysis, automation, and visualization using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools, along with working knowledge of coherent optical communication principles.
Nice to have
- Experience interfacing with EIC controls, firmware, or embedded software during test bring-up.
- Experience with FPGA- or ASIC-based test environments and validation workflows.
- Experience with spectrum, noise, or FFT-based signal analysis.
- Background in free-space optics, micro-optics, photonics packaging, or III-V semiconductor physics.
- Experience transitioning test methodologies from R&D into manufacturing or high-volume production.
More semiconductor jobs: Test engineer jobs · Sunnyvale jobs
This role has been open 108 days — well below the 124-day median for Silicon Test Engineering roles.
Silicon Test Engineering · Silicon Validation
|
Open roles in category
165
|
Median days open
124 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$138k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Lyte AI | All employers we track in this specialty (165 roles · 54 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 2 | 165 |
| Open roles in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family | 6 | 2395 · 121 employers |
| Median days open | 122 d | 124 d (−2 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $138k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Infineon Technologies · 11 open roles · median 111 d
- Qualcomm · 10 open roles · median 120 d
- Renesas Electronics · 10 open roles · median 118 d
- Marvell Technology · 9 open roles · median 136 d
- Teradyne · 9 open roles · median 139 d
- Texas Instruments · 8 open roles · median 119 d
How we counted: 165 open Silicon Test Engineering (Silicon Validation) roles from 54 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 8 Nov 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family row. Figures refresh nightly.