High Speed Photodiode Design Engineer

RiseMe; Goleta (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenLight Photonics in Goleta, CA is seeking a senior engineer to drive design, simulation, layout, and characterization of high-speed photodetectors. You will own Ge-on-Si and heterogeneous III-V/Si devices from concept to high-volume production, collaborating with fab, test, and applications teams.

You will use HFSS, CST, TCAD and Python tooling to model device physics, RF performance up to 200 Gbps per lane, and optimize processes for wafer yields. A Ph.D.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or MS in electrical engineering, physics, photonics, optics or related field.
• 3+ years in high-speed, integrated photodetector design, processing, or testing.
• Proficiency with high-speed device simulations and circuit design tools (HFSS, CST, ADS, TCAD, Crosslight).
• Strong RF/microwave fundamentals: transmission lines, impedance matching, RC parasitics.
• Experience with Ge epitaxy or III-V on silicon bonding is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, simulate, and optimize high-bandwidth PIN, APD, and wave-guided photodetector structures.
• Model carrier transport, transit time limits, quantum efficiency, dark current.
• Design high-speed RF electrodes and matching transitions for 200 Gbps+ rates.
• Own mask layouts (GDS/OASIS) with DRC/LVS compliance.
• Collaborate with fab/process teams to optimize yields and process corners.
• Characterize electro-optic performance and extract S-parameters, responsivity, reliability.

Skills

High-speed device simulations

RF/microwave concepts

Python scripting

Automated layout generation

Data analysis (JMP/Python/SQL)

Technical communication

Education

Ph.D. or M.S. in EE/Physics/Photonics/Optics

3+ years in high-speed photodetector design

Tools

Ansys HFSS

CST

ADS

Sentaurus TCAD

Crosslight

Luceda IPKISS

Job description

The Opportunity

OpenLight Photonics is looking for a highly motivated, experienced individual to drive the design, simulation, layout, and characterization of next-generation High-Speed Photodetectors. In this role, you will join a world-class team of engineers pioneering next generation photonic solutions spanning datacom, telecom, LiDAR, healthcare, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, automotive and optical computing across next-generation communications and computing networks.

You will be responsible for defining, designing and optimizing device physics, high-frequency RF behavior, and optical performance of Germanium-on-Silicon (Ge-on-Si) and heterogeneous III-V/Silicon integrated photodetectors. You will interface closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, customers and wafer manufacturing foundries, to take components from initial concept to high-volume production.

What You Will Do

• Design, simulate, and optimize active photonic components, focusing specifically on high-bandwidth PIN, Avalanche Photodiode (APD), and wave-guided photodetector structures.

• Utilize advanced optical simulation tools to model carrier transport dynamics, transit time limits, quantum efficiency, and dark current.

• Model and design high-speed RF electrode configurations and matching transitions to ensure signal integrity at data rates reaching 200 Gbps per lane and beyond.

• Own custom mask layouts (GDS/OASIS) within automated design environments, ensuring total adherence to foundry Design Rule Checking (DRC) and Layout Versus Schematic (LVS) rules.

• Collaborate with the fab process integration team to optimize process corners, epitaxy parameters, and implant profiles for increased wafer yields.

• Partner with validation and test engineering teams to perform hands-on electro-optic characterization, extracting high-speed s-parameters (S₂₁/S₁₁), responsivity, and reliability metrics.

Your Background Includes

• Ph.D. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Optics or a related field with a distinct emphasis on optoelectronic devices or high-speed semiconductor physics

• 3+ years of experience (or equivalent academic research) in high-speed, integrated photodetector design, processing, or testing

• Proficient with high-speed device simulations and circuit design tools (e.g. Ansys HFSS, CST, ADS, Sentaurus TCAD, Crosslight)

• Solid grounding in RF/microwave concepts, including transmission line theory, impedance matching, and parasitic RC parameter extraction

• Direct experience with devices fabricated from Germanium (Ge) epitaxial growth or hybrid wafer-bonding techniques for III-V materials on silicon substrates.

• Proficiency in Python or equivalent programming environments for automated layout generation (e.g., Luceda IPKISS, etc)

• Experience using statistical tools (e.g., JMP) and/or Python/SQL to parse automated wafer-level test data.

• Familiarity with post-silicon testing protocols for optical transceivers, including bit error rate (BER) and optical eye diagram analysis.

• Experience with RF characterization of photonic devices (transceiver modules is a plus)

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and reporting

About OpenLight

OpenLight is growing as customer adoption and industry momentum continue to accelerate. The rapid growth of AI and cloud infrastructure is driving unprecedented demand for faster, more energy-efficient optical connectivity. We are addressing this challenge through a platform approach that simplifies the development of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and accelerates industry adoption.

As part of our team, you will contribute to technologies that enable AI and hyperscale data centers, high-speed optical communications, advanced sensing applications, next-generation photonic integration, and more. Our team is collaborative and fast-moving, and you will have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions across technology, operations, and business growth.

If you are excited about solving challenging problems, advancing cutting-edge technology, and working with a highly collaborative team, we would love to hear from you.