Photonic IC Thermal Simulation Engineer

CScale; Palo Alto, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Cspeed IO is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to own the thermal modeling for the optical engine, from die-level power maps through cooling boundary conditions and correlation to measured hardware.

Thermal design is a functional requirement, with temperature affecting photonic device behavior. You will define heat extraction paths, assess material tolerances, and deliver reduced-order models for system integrators and customers, while guiding packaging and photonics teams.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or equivalent practical background.
• 6+ years of thermal simulation for semiconductor packages or electronic systems, including one product carried from architecture through hardware correlation.
• Expert proficiency in a commercial thermal or CFD tool for electronics: Ansys Icepak or Fluent, Simcenter Flotherm, Cadence Celsius, or equivalent.
• Command of heat transfer fundamentals sufficient to defend a model rather than only to run one.
• Demonstrated correlation of thermal simulation against measured hardware, with methodology revised on that basis.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain thermal models of the optical engine spanning die, package, interface materials, lid, and cold plate, for air- and liquid-cooled configurations.
• Establish the cooling boundary condition methodology and its validity limits, and quantify thermal crosstalk from adjacent high-power devices.
• Resolve the temperature field across the photonic IC to the resolution photonic design requires, and own the resulting gradient and uniformity specifications.
• Define the heat extraction path for high-flux die within the assembly, die attach, and thermal interface material selection where footprint and power density are constraining.
• Quantify the sensitivity of engine temperature to material property tolerance and assembly variation.
• Define the thermal characterization plan and lead simulation-to-hardware correlation to a stated and tracked accuracy tolerance.
• Provide thermal requirements and constraints to package layout, photonic design, and electrical design during architecture definition rather than after freeze.
• Generate reduced-order thermal models for system integrators and customers, and engage cold plate, heat sink, and thermal material suppliers.

Skills

Six plus years

Thermal simulation

Heat transfer fundamentals

Model correlation

Education

MS/PhD in ME/EE/Physics

Tools

Ansys Icepak/Fluent

Simcenter Flotherm

Cadence Celsius

Job description

Cspeed IO is seeking a Senior Thermal Engineer to own the thermal modeling for the optical engine, from die-level power maps through cooling boundary conditions and correlation to measured hardware.

Thermal design is a functional requirement, with temperature affecting photonic device behavior. You will define heat extraction paths, assess material tolerances, and deliver reduced-order models for system integrators and customers, while guiding packaging and photonics teams.