Senior PIC Design Engineer

Photonic Inc.; Coquitlam; Hybrid; CAD 117,000 - 161,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Relocation assistance

Hybrid work option

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Photonic Inc. in British Columbia, Canada (Hybrid) is seeking a Senior PIC Design Engineer to design and optimize photonic integrated circuits for scalable quantum technologies.

You will lead active and passive PIC development and simulate components as part of a diverse engineering team. You will mentor colleagues, develop software tools, and collaborate with foundries and manufacturers to enable advanced photonics.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in electrical engineering, applied physics or related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience with silicon photonics in an industrial setting.
• Proficiency with silicon photonic layouts using KLayout, Luceda, Cadence, Mentor Graphics, or equivalent.
• Deep expertise in designing and optimizing silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and devices.
• Experience in Python and MATLAB programming.
• Familiarity with electromagnetic simulation using tools like Lumerical, HFSS, and Tidy3D.
• Strong understanding of photonics, electronics, and EMC.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize complex silicon PICs at system and device level.
• Generate new software and scripts to meet design/analysis goals.
• Collaborate with foundries and manufacturers.
• Conduct trade studies to compare design options.
• Propose experiments to validate simulation models.
• Present findings to cross-functional teams.
• Translate analysis into development recommendations.
• Collaborate with PIC designers, nanofabrication engineers, test engineers, and physicists.
• Mentor team members on frameworks and best practices.
• Contribute to IP portfolio.

Skills

Python

MATLAB

KLayout

Luceda

Cadence

Mentor Graphics

Photonic design

Teamwork

Education

Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering or Applied Physics

Tools

Lumerical

COMSOL

Sentaurus

Silvaco

Tidy3D

HFSS

Cadence

Mentor Graphics

Job description

Senior PIC Design Engineer

Department: Nanofabrication

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: British Columbia, Canada (Hybrid)

Compensation: CA$117,000 - CA$161,000 / year

Description

The Senior PIC Design Engineer designs and optimizes photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and plays a key role in the development of our photonic quantum computer. You will design first-of-their-kind photonic integrated circuits for implementing truly scalable quantum technologies. The Senior PIC Design Engineer is an expert in the design and simulation of active and passive photonic integrated circuit components and systems. You will be comfortable working in a diverse, multi-disciplinary team of engineers and scientists.

ABOUT THE ROLE

• Design and optimize complex active and passive, large-scale silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs) at both the system and device level
• Generate new software and scripts as required to meet design and analysis goals
• Work with foundries and manufacturers
• Conduct trade studies and analysis of alternatives (AoAs) to explore design options and their trade-offs for components
• Propose and analyze experiments to validate and refine simulation models
• Present verbal and written findings to cross-functional teams
• Translate analysis into recommendations for future development directions
• Work on issues of integration with other chips and systems
• Create polished simulation flows and documentation to collaborate with other PIC design engineers
• Collaborate with a team of photonic designers, nanofabrication engineers, test engineers, and physicists
• Train, guide, and mentor team members on all frameworks and best practices
• Contribute to our IP portfolio

ABOUT YOU

• Master’s or PhD degree in electrical engineering, applied physics or other relevant discipline
• 5+ years of experience with silicon photonics in an industrial setting
• Familiarity in designing photonic layouts with KLayout, Luceda, Cadence, Mentor Graphics, or equivalent
• Deep expertise in designing and optimizing silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and devices
• Experience in common programming languages like Python and MATLAB
• Proficiency in electromagnetic simulation using common tools, like Lumerical (FDTD, MODE, INTERCONNECT), Tidy3D
• Strong understanding of photonics, electronics, and electromagnetic compatibility
• Familiarity in optical bench experiments with tools like parameter analyzers, optical spectrum analyzers, laser sources, etc.
• Excellent teamwork, interpersonal, and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently while also being a great team member

An exceptional candidate will bring:

• 7+ years of experience with silicon photonics in an industrial setting
• Experience in designing high-performance optical switches and modulators (high speed in GHz range, low optical loss, low power dissipation, etc.)
• Experience with inverse design optimization techniques (adjoint method, particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithms (GA), gradient ascent, etc.)
• Experience in designing high-performance single-photon detectors
• Deep expertise in designing and optimizing photonic integrated circuits (PICs) on silicon nitride or hybrid material platforms
• Experience with high-frequency chip design (RFIC/MMIC) and signal modeling in tools like HFSS
• Experience with thermal and mechanical modeling of components in tools like COMSOL (FEM)
• Experience in modeling doping, diffusion and electrical device performance in tools like Sentarus or Silvaco (TCAD)
• Experience with PIC packaging, fabrication and test
• Knowledge of quantum optics
• Knowledge of cryogenic PICs
• Ability to work in the Greater Vancouver Area to collaborate closely with the team in person is a plus - this role is eligible for work permit sponsorship and relocation support

WHY YOU SHOULD WORK WITH US

• Work closely with some of the brightest innovators in quantum technologies to drive breakthroughs that redefine computing
• Enjoy a fast-paced and fun environment where you can try new things while solving innovative challenges every day
• Inclusive company culture that values collaboration
• Regular social events and fun activities keep our global team connected
• Competitive compensation package including base salary, stock options, and relocation assistance for global talent
• Comprehensive benefits including extended health, dental, life, long term disability, an employee assistance program, parental leave top-ups, and a flexible spending account

The description above is what we think an ideal candidate would look like for this role. At Photonic, we understand that everyone has a different work and life journey. If you feel your experience is close to what we've described, but you might not meet all the requirements, All roles listed are for current vacancies. While artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used to assist in reviewing applicant profiles, they do not determine candidate outcomes. Our hiring decisions are made by people, not algorithms. We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences, knowing that these very differences inspire innovation and build better teams. If there are any accommodations our team can make throughout our hiring process, please let us know.