Senior Applications Engineer - Silicon Photonics - Santa Clara, United States
$173,100 - $216,400 USD yearly
Originally posted 26 May 2026 by the employer.
Support customers designing 1.6T and 3.2T optical engines using ST's Silicon Photonics and SiGe BiCMOS process technologies.
About the role
As a Senior Applications Engineer focused on Design Enablement, you will support foundry customers designing high-speed optical interconnects, EIC, and PIC components. Technical focus spans Silicon Photonics, SiGe BiCMOS, and advanced packaging process technologies for 1.6T, 3.2T, and higher data rate optical engines.
What you'll do
- Provide training and on-boarding to ramp up foundry customers' design teams on ST process platforms. - Deliver technical support for customer issues and inquiries regarding ST PDK and IP/library deliveries across simulation, layout, extraction, and reliability. - Enhance PDK documentation, develop application notes, and formulate best practices for customers and internal teams. - Lead regular technical syncs with customer and internal teams from program inception through product tape-out, engineering sample delivery, and production ramp-up. - Participate in defining photonic/electronic reference designs and proof-of-concept board and system builds. - Track industry developments in semiconductor and photonics technology to incorporate best practices into PDK, IP, and library development.
What you'll need
- BSEE with 12+ years of experience, or MSEE/PhD with 6+ years of experience. - Product development or applications expertise in Silicon Photonics (SiPh), including direct experience with PIC design, waveguide theory, and integrated lasers/modulators. - Product development or applications expertise in High-Speed RF / SiGe BiCMOS, including 100G/200G+ per-lane electrical interfaces, TIAs, drivers, and SiGe HBT physics. - Alternatively, CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) R&D background with experience in pixel-level nanophotonics, complex optical stacks, and non-Manhattan layouts.
Nice to have
- Working knowledge of data center architectures, interconnect technologies, and optical transceivers.
Skills: customer support, Silicon Photonics, PDK, optical interconnects, Co-Packaged Optics, SiGe BiCMOS
This role has been open 136 days — well above the 78-day median for Applications FAE roles.
Applications FAE · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
27
|
Median days open
78 d
|
Median salary
$164k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | STMicroelectronics | All employers we track in this specialty (27 roles · 14 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 3 | 27 |
| Median days open | 136 d | 78 d (+58 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $164k |
Skills observed across this category: customer support, Silicon Photonics, PDK, optical interconnects, Co-Packaged Optics, SiGe BiCMOS
Who's hiring in this category
- FormFactor · 5 open roles · median 33 d
- Keysight Technologies · 4 open roles · median 76 d
- Lumentum · 3 open roles · median 71 d
- STMicroelectronics (this employer) · 3 open roles · median 137 d
- Teradyne · 3 open roles · median 36 d
- Analog Devices · 1 open role · median 170 d
How we counted: 27 open Applications FAE (Photonics) roles from 14 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 24 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.