Staff /Sr Staff Laser Module & Systems Characterization Engineer - Mountain View, CA, United States
$187,000 - $260,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 21 August 2026 by the employer — open 31 days.
About the role
This role involves the hands-on technical ownership for bring-up, characterization, and validation of Lightmatter's laser modules and photonic systems.
What you'll do
- Lead optical performance optimization (OPO) and initial bring-up for Guide ™ Laser modules.
- Develop and own the bringup-to-eVT hand-off package, including measurement summary, pass/fail criteria, and known-good reference data.
- Own characterization campaigns involving Guide and Passage based optical links, including end-to-end link validation and margin verification.
- Develop structured manufacturing and characterization test plans aligned to photonics-control specs.
- Write and maintain Python or MATLAB measurement automation scripts for optical, electrical, and thermal test sequences.
- Author clear characterization reports capturing methodology, results, and recommendations.
What you'll need
- BS + 8 years, MS + 6 years, or PhD + 3 years in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, Photonics, or a closely related field.
- Hands-on experience characterizing laser modules (DFB lasers, optical amplifiers, coherent sources) in a research or NPI environment.
- Proficiency with core photonics lab equipment: optical spectrum analyzers (OSA), optical power meters, lightwave component analyzers (LCA), high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, and signal generators.
- Experience building or executing structured test plans for optical or electro-optic assemblies.
- Proficiency with Python or MATLAB scripting for measurement automation and statistical data analysis.
- Familiarity with statistical process control (SPC), gauge R&R, or JMP for production yield analysis.
Nice to have
- Experience with high-speed and optical link characterization methodologies.
- Experience with laser module NPI, EVT, or manufacturing bring-up workflows.
- Background in TEC/thermal control loops, laser safety interlock systems, or photonics control-style calibration flows.
- Exposure to silicon photonics–III-V heterogeneous integration (bonded DFB sources, SOA, or hybrid photonic packages).
- Familiarity with optical link budgets and system-level characterization; experience operating multi-channel photonic integration platforms.
Skills: Laser Characterization Engineer, laser modules, photonic systems, optical performance optimization, DWDM optical link
This role has been open 31 days — well below the 62-day median for Optical/Photonics IC Design roles.
Optical/Photonics IC Design · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
121
|
Median days open
62 d
|
Median salary
$195k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Lightmatter | All employers we track in this specialty (121 roles · 31 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 16 | 121 |
| Median days open | 70 d | 62 d (+8 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $195k |
Skills observed across this category: Laser Characterization Engineer, laser modules, photonic systems, optical performance optimization, DWDM optical link
Who's hiring in this category
- GlobalFoundries · 18 open roles · median 56 d
- Lightmatter (this employer) · 17 open roles · median 69 d
- Coherent Corp · 15 open roles · median 62 d
- Lumentum · 8 open roles · median 49 d
- PsiQuantum · 6 open roles · median 111 d
- Ayar Labs · 5 open roles · median 46 d
How we counted: 121 open Optical/Photonics IC Design (Photonics) roles from 31 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 22 Sept 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.