microLED based ultra-low power high bandwidth interconnects
About the role
The Principal System Engineer leads engineering efforts to characterize optical transmitters, optical receivers, and link performance for parallel opto-electronic interfaces. The role focuses on microLED-based optical interconnects using fiber bundles and ASIC-integrated components.
What you'll do
- Lead a team of engineers to characterize optical transmitters, optical receivers, and link performance of highly parallel opto-electronic interfaces.
- Develop and maintain an optical transmission system testing bed for full characterization of optical components, modules, and system performance measurements.
- Define and run link DOEs using microLED on ASIC transmitters, fiber bundles as transmission media, and photodetectors on ASIC as receivers.
- Characterize optical components by evaluating signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), receiver sensitivity, bit-error-rate (BER), crosstalk, power consumption, and transmission system link budget.
- Collaborate with PCBA design engineers to design, fabricate, and bring up test boards, providing guidance on schematic capture, circuit simulation, and PCB design.
What you'll need
- MS or PhD in electrical engineering or physics with 6+ years of experience.
- Expertise with optical transceiver circuits including trans-impedance amplifiers (TIAs), laser/LED drivers, and photodetectors.
- Familiarity with datacenter class optical module designs for QSFP/OSFP form factor pluggable modules, Near-Packaged Optics (NPO), or Co-Packaged Optics (CPO).
- Experience with optical transceiver test methodologies.
- Familiarity with industry standards including IEEE Ethernet standards, OIF standards, and MSAs.
Nice to have
- Ability to code scripts in Python for validation and data analysis.
- Working knowledge of high-speed test instruments such as VNAs, sampling and real-time oscilloscopes, and spectrum analyzers.
- Hands-on lab experience with probed or free space coupled optical systems using stages.
Skills: optical transceiver, link characterization, BER, oscilloscope, test bed, QSFP/OSFP
More semiconductor jobs: Silicon validation jobs · Sunnyvale jobs
This role has been open 4 days — well below the 39-day median for Post-Silicon Validation roles.
Post-Silicon Validation · Silicon Validation
|
Open roles in category
466
|
Median days open
39 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$168k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Avicena | All employers we track in this specialty (466 roles · 66 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 2 | 466 |
| Open roles in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family | 4 | 2395 · 121 employers |
| Median days open | 4 d | 39 d (−35 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $168k |
Skills observed across this category: optical transceiver, link characterization, BER, oscilloscope, test bed, QSFP/OSFP
Who's hiring in this category
- AMD · 62 open roles · median 39 d
- Qualcomm · 39 open roles · median 36 d
- Micron Technology · 31 open roles · median 46 d
- Apple · 30 open roles · median 16 d
- NVIDIA · 26 open roles · median 39 d
- Microchip Technology · 23 open roles · median 85 d
How we counted: 466 open Post-Silicon Validation (Silicon Validation) roles from 66 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.