Principal Design Engineer - Fremont, CA, United States
Originally posted 18 March 2026 by the employer. Relisted by the employer on 24 July 2026.
About the role
Lead the design, simulation, development, and optimization of high-speed, high-sensitivity InGaAs/InP photodiodes for optoelectronic applications. This role oversees device architecture and fabrication flow through wafer processing, characterization, and production qualification.
What you'll do
- Define device architecture and performance targets for InGaAs/InP photodiodes from concept through production release. - Partner with epitaxial growth and semiconductor process engineers to design and optimize device structures, materials, and fabrication flows. - Analyze device performance using simulation, characterization, and failure analysis to optimize speed, sensitivity, reliability, and manufacturability. - Collaborate with test and reliability teams to establish characterization plans and ensure device qualification. - Work with internal wafer fabrication teams and external manufacturing partners to develop and scale manufacturing technologies. - Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership across cross-functional development teams.
What you'll need
- PhD with 10+ years of relevant experience in optoelectronic device design and simulation. - Demonstrated experience in photodiode epi materials growth, development, and quality control. - Deep technical expertise in photodiode wafer front process and backend process design. - Hands-on experience with photodiode test and device characterization. - Proven track record leading photodiode reliability qualification and product release.
Skills: InGaAs/InP photodiodes, high-speed optical transceivers, photodiode design, optoelectronic products, epitaxial, optical communication systems
This role has been open 221 days — well above the 80-day median for Optical/Photonics IC Design roles.
Optical/Photonics IC Design · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
136
|
Median days open
80 d
|
Median salary
$195k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Coherent Corp | All employers we track in this specialty (136 roles · 30 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 18 | 136 |
| Median days open | 94 d | 80 d (+14 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $195k |
Skills observed across this category: InGaAs/InP photodiodes, high-speed optical transceivers, photodiode design, optoelectronic products, epitaxial, optical communication systems
Who's hiring in this category
- Coherent Corp (this employer) · 17 open roles · median 96 d
- GlobalFoundries · 16 open roles · median 82 d
- Lightmatter · 14 open roles · median 101 d
- Lumentum · 10 open roles · median 83 d
- Marvell Technology · 10 open roles · median 38 d
- Intel Corporation · 7 open roles · median 66 d
How we counted: 136 open Optical/Photonics IC Design (Photonics) roles from 30 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 26 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.