Photonics Applications Engineer

Texas Instruments; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Texas Instruments Incorporated is seeking a Senior Applications Engineer in Santa Clara, CA to lead customer support, design-in activities, and high-speed test development for optical/electrical ICs. You will architect test setups, coordinate with global teams, and mentor junior staff.

Ideal candidates have hands-on leadership, strong characterization skills, and a track record of translating feedback into design improvements.

Qualifications

• Requires hands-on leadership in customer-facing engineering activities.
• Experience building high-speed test setups (>50 GHz) and measurement systems.
• Strong data handling, visualization, and reporting capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead external-facing interactions with customers and partners for design-in activities.
• Specify, assemble and validate high-speed electrical and optical test setups.
• Identify and procure test tools, coordinate with vendors for system readiness.
• Develop test plans across die, package and board levels for high-volume characterization.
• Build and maintain databases of measurement data and report findings using visualization tools.
• Supervise daily testing and coordinate validation across multiple global sites.

Skills

Customer support leadership

Test setup development

Equipment management

Device characterization

Data visualization

Team leadership

Job description

Change the world. Love your job.

Texas Instruments (TI) is out front and ready for the next big challenge. Our innovations are at the core of nearly every electronics product in use today. And it doesn't stop there. We're developing breakthrough technology to power the world's future innovations as well. TI is committed to building a better future — from the responsible manufacturing of our semiconductors, to caring for our employees, to giving back inside our communities. Put your talent to work with us.

Our business has very high growth in TI and is in a segment where the market is fast growing. We're searching for applications engineer who have the passion and excitement to grow, innovative, take an active role in product definition, execute the characterization until ramp, and provide post ramp application support to customers.

The Texas Instruments Optical Signal Chain and Controllers team is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Applications Engineer to lead customer support, debug, and characterization of next-generation optical ICs, electrical ICs, silicon-photonics-based optical sub-assemblies, and optical engines for high-speed data communications applications. You will be the link between product design and customer experience, playing a pivotal role in the product lifecycle by solving technical challenges, integrating devices into customer systems and translating feedback into design improvements. In addition, you will architect, assemble, and bring up high-speed (> 50 GHz) bench test setups while driving high quality, accurate, and high throughput measurement procedures and reporting. You may also supervise and mentor junior applications engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Hands-On Customer Support Leadership: Drive external-facing interactions, answering customer and partner questions and supporting design-in activities for new products.
• Test Setup Development: Lead the specification, assembly, and validation of custom, high-speed (> 50GHz) electrical, electro-optical, and optical-optical die-level test setups.
• Equipment & Tool Management: Identify, select, and procure necessary test tools and equipment; partner directly with equipment vendors to bring up and troubleshoot measurement systems.
• Device Characterization Strategy & Execution: Collaborate with design teams and product architects to formulate comprehensive test plans across die, package, and board levels. Must be strongly familiar with industry standard practices for high-volume high-speed electrical and optical characterization.
• Data Management & Visualization: Build and maintain structured databases of measurement data; analyze and report out findings using data visualization tools.
• Leadership & Supervision: Direct, coordinate, and supervise the daily testing efforts of junior applications engineers. Coordinate application and validation efforts across multiple global sites.