Intern, Photonics Design - Multiphysics Design

Ayar Labs; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 69,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

Ayar Labs, the global leader in optical I/O chiplets, invites a PhD student to join our on-site internship in San Jose. You will work with simulations for photonic devices and contribute to co-packaged optics validation and packaging feedback.

Ideal candidates are pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering with photonics, proficient in Python, and capable of collaborating within a design team to translate real data into silicon-level insights.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field with photonics focus.
• Solid Python programming skills and ability to write clean, collaborative code.
• Solid understanding of photonic devices (couplers, detectors, modulators, resonators).
• Experience with simulation/design tools for optical devices (e.g., FDTD).

Responsibilities

• Run and validate photonic device simulations to inform packaging decisions.
• Develop well-structured code as part of a team contributing to ongoing projects.
• Interpret validation data to guide future design iterations and submissions.

Skills

Python

Team collaboration

Photonic devices

Optical simulation tools

Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering with Photonics

Tools

FDTD

Charge transport modelling

Job description

• Position location is on-site in San Jose Office
• There is no immigration (except F1) or relocation support for this position
• Posting expires upon application threshold

Term: May to August 2027

Position Description

Ayar Labs, the global leader in optical I/O chiplets, is harnessing silicon photonics to revolutionize the scaling of AI compute hardware. Ayar Labs is shattering AI data bottlenecks by moving data at the speed of light. As pioneers of co-packaged optics (CPO), we are using light instead of electricity to move data faster, further, and with a fraction of the energy needed to fuel the explosive growth of AI models. Backed by industry giants like NVIDIA, AMD and Intel and manufactured in partnership with the world’s leading semiconductor ecosystem, Ayar Labs’ co-packaged optics solution is key to unleashing next-generation AI scale-up architectures. You will help solve the thermal and multiphysics problems that decide whether disruptive CPO succeeds, using electromagnetic, thermal, and charge-transport simulations on a leading-edge EIC-PIC process and packaging platform. You’ll get to close the loop between simulation and silicon: you’ll dig into real Validation data to learn how packaging, firmware, and device physics (such as ring-heater thermals) interact, and feed those lessons into the next submission.

Intern Skillset Needed

• Proficiency with Python
• Experience writing well-structured code and developing a code base as part of a team
• Deep understanding of photonic devices: couplers, photodetectors, electro-optic modulators, micro-ring resonators, gratings
• Experience with simulation and design tools for passive and active optical devices (e.g., FDTD, charge transport)

Education Requirements

• Candidate should be actively pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering or other Engineering with Photonics specialization

Pay Range: $50 - 60/hourly, depending on education level

Ayar Labs is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to all policies which will afford equal opportunity employment to all qualified persons without regard to age, sex, national origin, race, color, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. It is the policy of Ayar Labs to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. Veterans are more than welcome and encouraged to apply.