Electro-Optic Modulator Design Engineer

HyperLight Corporation; Cambridge, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health coverage

401(k) retirement plans with matching

Paid parental leave

Life and disability insurance

Commuter benefits and subsidies

Professional growth and mentorship

Job summary

HyperLight Corporation seeks an Electro-Optic Modulator Design Engineer in Cambridge, MA, to design, optimize, and characterize high-speed modulators. You will own devices end-to-end, from concept to production, collaborating with cross-functional teams and advancing the TFLN Chiplet platform.

The role requires 6+ years in physics/engineering or an MS/PhD, with strong RF, optical intuition, and proficiency in EM tools. Competitive compensation and full benefits accompany onsite work in Cambridge.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of relevant work experience in RF photonics or related field.
• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Strong publications, patents, or products showing independent innovation.

Responsibilities

• Own the full development of modulator designs from initial study through concept, simulation, tapeout, validation, and handoff to production.
• Collaborate with layout, process development, manufacturing, test, and product teams to design electro-optic components for photonic ICs.
• Perform high-frequency RF (beyond 100 GHz) and electro-optic simulations using tools like COMSOL, HFSS, and VPIphotonics; develop Python tools.
• Develop and implement high-speed test and calibration techniques using tunable lasers, SMUs, bias controllers, VNAs, oscilloscopes, and AWGs.
• Serve as a technical expert within HyperLight across the product lifecycle, from concept to customer engagement and production.

Skills

RF & optical physics

Modulator design

High-frequency RF simulations

Python scripting

VNA/SMU knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

MS/PhD in Physics or Electrical Engineering

Tools

COMSOL

HFSS

VPIphotonics

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. These devices are at the core of our platform, and you will own them from end to end.

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.

• 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.

• 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

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].