Lead Laser & SOA Characterization Engineer

Lightmatter, Inc.; Mountain View, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 210,000 - 267,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement Savings Matching

Life Insurance

Generous Time Off

Paid Family Leave

Disability Insurance

Equity Grants

Hybrid workplace model

Job summary

Lightmatter, Inc. is seeking a Senior Laser & SOA Characterization Engineer in Mountain View, CA. You will lead advanced characterization and bring-up of semiconductor lasers, tunable laser sources, DFB/DBR lasers, laser diodes, and SOAs, driving test strategies from lab to production readiness.

You will develop robust measurement methodologies, automate data collection, and work with laser design, photonics, packaging, and reliability teams to translate data into design improvements.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, Photonics, Optics, or related field.
• 5+ years hands-on laser, SOA, photonics, or optical device characterization.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor laser physics, optical gain, carrier dynamics, and thermal effects.
• Deep hands-on experience with optical and electro-optical lab measurements.

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on characterization of lasers, tunable lasers, DFB/DBR/ECL lasers, laser diodes, and SOAs.
• Measure and analyze metrics: output power, wavelength, spectrum, SMSR, RIN, linewidth, tuning, stability.
• Develop LIV, L-I-V-T, tuning, power stability, and drift measurement methodologies.
• Build and maintain automated optical and RF measurement setups in Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB.
• Translate results into actionable feedback for laser design, packaging, and systems.

Skills

Strong analytical skills

Hands-on lab experience

Mentoring juniors

Effective communication

Education

PhD or Master’s in EE/Physics/Photonic/Optics

Tools

Python

LabVIEW

MATLAB

PyVISA

Oscilloscopes

Job description

Lightmatter, Inc. is seeking a Senior Laser & SOA Characterization Engineer in Mountain View, CA. You will lead advanced characterization and bring-up of semiconductor lasers, tunable laser sources, DFB/DBR lasers, laser diodes, and SOAs, driving test strategies from lab to production readiness.

You will develop robust measurement methodologies, automate data collection, and work with laser design, photonics, packaging, and reliability teams to translate data into design improvements.