Lead high-speed modulator design from concept through tapeout for the T100 optical AI inference chip.
Originally posted 5 May 2026 by the employer. Relisted by the employer on 4 November 2026.
About the role
As a Staff Silicon Photonics Design Engineer, you will lead the development of high-speed modulators that move data into the optical domain on the OPU platform, including the T100 optical AI inference chip. You will own modulator design from concept through tapeout and work with the test team to characterize and validate silicon.
What you'll do
- Lead high-speed silicon photonics development, focusing on high-speed modulators including carrier-depletion Mach-Zehnder, micro-ring/micro-disk, and traveling-wave designs.
- Design and optimize modulators for EO bandwidth, VπL, insertion loss, extinction ratio, and energy per bit using optical, electrical, and RF co-simulation.
- Lead layout and tapeout of photonic test vehicles and product blocks in foundry PDKs, including DRC/LVS sign-off and design-for-test structures.
- Define RF electrode, termination, and driver-interface requirements alongside electronic IC and packaging teams.
- Support wafer- and die-level testing for small-signal EO S-parameters, eye diagrams, BER, and DC/thermal tuning, correlating measured results with simulation models.
- Write design specs, tapeout reviews, and test reports while presenting technical trade-offs to cross-functional stakeholders.
What you'll need
- PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Physics, or a relevant field.
- 3+ years of working experience in high-speed silicon photonics, specifically high-speed modulator design.
- Hands-on experience with photonic device simulation tools (such as Lumerical/Ansys, COMSOL, or equivalent) and RF/electromagnetic simulation of traveling-wave electrodes.
- Experience creating photonic layouts and taping out in a silicon photonics foundry PDK using tools such as KLayout, gdsfactory, or Cadence Virtuoso.
- Working knowledge of high-speed characterization methods and instruments, including VNAs, high-speed oscilloscopes, BERTs, and RF probe stations.
- Solid understanding of the plasma dispersion effect, PN/PIN junction design, and the trade-offs among speed, loss, and drive voltage in silicon modulators.
Nice to have
- 5+ years of experience in high-speed silicon photonics.
- Experience taking devices through the full design-to-tapeout-to-fabrication-to-testing cycle.
- Experience with advanced EO modulator platforms, such as thin-film lithium niobate, BTO, or III-V/Si heterogeneous integration.
- Experience co-designing modulators with CMOS/SiGe drivers, or with high-speed RF packaging and photonic-electronic co-integration.
Skills: silicon photonics design, FDTD, grating couplers, PDK, Cadence Virtuoso
More semiconductor jobs: Photonics jobs · Sunnyvale jobs
This role has been open 132 days — well above the 82-day median for Optical/Photonics IC Design roles.
Optical/Photonics IC Design · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
150
|
Median days open
82 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$198k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Neurophos | All employers we track in this specialty (150 roles · 36 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 4 | 150 |
| Median days open | 76 d | 82 d (−6 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $198k |
Skills observed across this category: silicon photonics design, FDTD, grating couplers, PDK, Cadence Virtuoso
Who's hiring in this category
- Coherent Corp · 17 open roles · median 105 d
- GlobalFoundries · 13 open roles · median 76 d
- Lightmatter · 13 open roles · median 110 d
- Lumentum · 10 open roles · median 92 d
- Marvell Technology · 10 open roles · median 47 d
- PsiQuantum · 9 open roles · median 147 d
How we counted: 150 open Optical/Photonics IC Design (Photonics) roles from 36 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 4 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. Figures refresh nightly.