Electro-Optic Modulator Design Engineer

HyperLight; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) with matching

Paid parental leave

Life and disability insurance

Commuter benefits

Mentorship opportunities

Job summary

HyperLight in Cambridge, MA seeks an Electro-Optic Modulator Design Engineer to advance high-speed modulators using RF and optical physics. You will own designs from concept through tapeout and production, collaborating with layout, process, test, and product teams.

The role requires 6+ years in physics/EE or MS/PhD, strong RF/microwave knowledge, and experience with EM simulation tools; excellent communication and hands-on prototyping are valued.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of relevant work experience or an advanced degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• A strong record of independent innovation and technical problem solving.
• Deep intuition for applied physics of devices previously designed.
• Strong understanding of RF, microwave, and/or integrated photonic devices and principles.

Responsibilities

• Own the full development of modulator designs from study to tapeout and production.
• Collaborate with layout, process development, manufacturing, test, and product teams.
• Perform high-frequency RF (>100 GHz) and electro-optic simulations using commercial and in-house tools.
• Develop and implement high-speed test and calibration techniques for characterization.
• Serve as a technical expert within HyperLight throughout the lifecycle of product development.

Skills

RF & optical physics

High-speed modulator design

Cross-functional collaboration

Electronic/photonic device intuition

Education

MS or PhD in Physics or Electrical Engineering

Tools

COMSOL

Ansys HFSS

Tidy3D

Microwave Studio

Lumerical

Job description

HyperLight is at the forefront of the commercialization of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) integrated photonics - a material and process technology that is enabling high-performance, scalable optical components across AI/datacom infrastructure, hyperscale computing, quantum computing, sensing, and beyond. Founded in 2018 and backed by leading venture capital, we've built a team and a platform focused on real-world mass deployment of TFLN photonics technology. At the core of our work is the TFLN Chiplet™ platform: a modular architecture designed for scalability, manufacturability, and integration into complex systems. We partner with our customers and suppliers from concept and prototyping through mass production. We believe in integrity, innovation, collaboration, and pragmatic solutions, and we take pride in tackling hard problems with curiosity, humility, and a deep sense of care for one another. Our growing team is looking for an Electro-Optic Modulator Design Engineer to use RF and optical physics principles to design, optimize, and characterize high-speed electro-optic modulators.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the full development of modulator designs from initial study on the state of the art through concept development, simulation, tapeout, validation, and ultimately handoff to production.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including layout, process development, manufacturing, test, and product, to design electro-optic components for our photonic integrated circuits.
• Perform high-frequency RF (beyond 100 GHz) and electro-optic simulations using commercial tools (e.g., COMSOL, Ansys HFSS, and VPIphotonics), as well as homegrown tools in Python that you will help write.
• Develop and implement high-speed test and calibration techniques for characterizing your components using equipment such as tunable lasers, source measurement units (SMUs), bias controllers, vector network analyzers (VNAs), real-time and sampling oscilloscopes (DCAs), and arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs).
• Serve as a technical expert within HyperLight throughout the product development lifecycle, from concept development to customer engagement and production.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Either 6+ years of relevant work experience or equivalent experience through an advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• A strong record of independent innovation and technical problem solving, evidenced by the publications, products, and/or patents you developed.
• Deep physical intuition for the applied physics of devices you have previously designed.
• Strong understanding of RF, microwave, and/or integrated photonic devices and physical principles, including topics such as transmission line theory, mode and coupled-mode theory, S-parameters, passive RF circuit design, heat transport, impedance matching, etc.
• Proficiency with EM simulation tools such as COMSOL, Tidy3D, Microwave Studio, Ansys HFSS, Keysight ADS, or Lumerical.
• Strong communication skills to convey complex technical concepts clearly.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Prior experience designing high-speed active photonic components such as traveling-wave modulators.
• Experience with script-driven physical layout of devices (e.g., GDSFactory, IPKISS, Cadence Virtuoso, etc.).
• Experience writing moderate-complexity software using scripting languages like Python or MATLAB.
• Experience with RF characterization of photonic devices or transceivers.
• Experience with statistical data analysis using tools like Python, SQL, or JMP.
• Familiarity with communication link modeling and testing concepts (e.g., eye diagrams, BER, etc.) and digital signal processing.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

• Competitive market-based compensation (Salary range $130,000-$250,000 per year)
• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, vision, and dental plans for individuals and families
• 401(k) retirement plans with employee matching
• Paid parental leave
• Life and disability insurance
• Commuter benefits and subsidies
• Professional growth and mentorship opportunities

LOCATION:

This position is onsite at our office in Cambridge, MA.

HyperLight is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. HyperLight is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during our hiring process. If you need assistance or an accommodation, please contact us at [e-mail].