FPGA Design Engineer

Analog Photonics LLC.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Analog Photonics, a Boston-based silicon photonics company, seeks an FPGA Design Engineer to architect RTL and implement DSP for LiDAR and FSOC systems. You’ll work on beam-steering, high-speed data paths, and hardware/software interfaces, collaborating with firmware and host software teams.

The role involves bringing up designs on Xilinx platforms, validating with testbenches, and ensuring timing closure on real hardware. On-site in Boston; requires US work authorization.

Qualifications

• BS, MS or PhD in Electrical or Computer Engineering.
• 4+ years of professional FPGA design experience.
• Fluent in VHDL or SystemVerilog and in Xilinx Vivado.
• Experience with high-speed interfaces such as JESD204B/C, LVDS, SerDes or Ethernet.
• Simulation-based verification and timing closure on real designs.
• Comfortable debugging on custom hardware and reading schematics.

Responsibilities

• Architect and write RTL for Xilinx FPGAs/SoCs: beam-steering control, high-speed interfaces, and signal-processing pipelines.
• Implement DSP in logic: filtering, FFTs, FMCW ranging, and modem/framing for optical links.
• Build testbenches and verify designs in simulation before hardware.
• Close timing and manage clocking, resets and clock-domain crossings.
• Integrate soft/hard processors and define HW/SW interfaces with firmware.
• Bring up and debug on custom boards with test equipment with board designers.

Skills

4+ years FPGA design

VHDL

SystemVerilog

Xilinx Vivado

High-speed interfaces

Hardware debugging

Embedded processor interfaces

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

JESD204B/C

LVDS/SerDes

Ethernet

Zynq/Zynq UltraScale+ SoC

RFSoC experience

MATLAB/Python modelling

Job description

Analog Photonics is a Boston-based silicon photonics company developing high-performance photonic integrated circuits for LiDAR, free-space optical communications, data communications and defense systems. Our designs, including the world's best optical phased arrays, are built on a proprietary 300mm CMOS-foundry silicon photonics platform optimized for low cost, high reliability and high yield. Engineers here work hands-on across the full design, build and test cycle, and your work goes directly from concept to prototype to fielded system.

The role

We are looking for an FPGA Design Engineer to build the digital logic and embedded processing at the center of our LiDAR and free-space optical communications (FSOC) systems. You will design, verify and bring up FPGA designs that control optical phased arrays, process high-speed converter data in real time, and hand results to firmware and host software.

What you will do

• Architect and write RTL (VHDL or SystemVerilog) for Xilinx FPGAs and SoCs: beam-steering control, high-speed ADC and DAC interfaces, signal-processing pipelines and communication links.
• Implement DSP in logic: filtering, FFTs, FMCW ranging, and modem and framing functions for optical links.
• Build testbenches and verify designs in simulation before hardware.
• Close timing and manage clocking, resets and clock-domain crossings.
• Integrate soft and hard processors (MicroBlaze, ARM) and define the hardware/software interface with the firmware engineer.
• Bring up and debug on custom boards with logic analyzers, ILA and oscilloscopes, working with the board designers.

Required qualifications

• BS, MS or PhD in Electrical or Computer Engineering.
• 4+ years of professional FPGA design experience.
• Fluent in VHDL or SystemVerilog and in Xilinx Vivado.
• Experience with high-speed interfaces such as JESD204B/C, LVDS, SerDes or Ethernet.
• Simulation-based verification and timing closure on real designs.
• Comfortable debugging on custom hardware and reading schematics.

Preferred qualifications

• Digital signal processing for radar, LiDAR or communications.
• Zynq or Zynq UltraScale+ SoC and RFSoC experience.
• C or C++ for embedded processors, and Python or MATLAB for modeling.
• Tcl scripting, version control and automated builds.
• High-level synthesis or Simulink HDL Coder.

Details

This position is full-time and on-site in Boston, Massachusetts. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. Pay range: $150,000 to $195,000 per year, depending on experience. Analog Photonics is an equal opportunity employer.