Photonics Firmware Engineer: Bring-Up & Validation

Xscape Photonics Inc; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Xscape Photonics in Santa Clara, CA seeks a skilled Firmware Engineer to lead validation and test firmware for our optical systems. You will bring-up, characterize, and qualify new hardware and control algorithms in embedded firmware.

Ideal candidates have a BS/MS in EE/CE and 3+ years in embedded firmware, with strong C/C++, I2C/SPI/UART, and experience in real-time platforms. You will work with production firmware, test automation, and lab instruments to iterate rapidly and hand off validated

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering required.
• 3+ years of embedded firmware experience in real-time or RTOS environments.
• Hands-on with microcontrollers, peripherals (I2C/SPI/UART), and low-level software.
• Strong debugging, lab instrumentation, and board bring-up skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement validation firmware for microcontroller -based platforms that drive lasers, modulators, photodetectors, and associated control electronics - to bring up, characterize, and quality new hardware and control algorithms.
• Implement control methods prototyped in Python as embedded firmware, and verify they reproduce the intended behavior on hardware.
• Interface with precision ADC and DAC channels for laser current control, temperature control (TEC), power monitoring, and photodiode feedback.
• Implement bootloaders, firmware update mechanisms, and diagnostics/telemetry features for manufacturing and field support.
• Configure and read sensors, DACs/ADCs, and control elements over I²C, SPI, UART, GPIO.
• Support hardware bring-up, board-level debug of custom PCBs and evaluation boards, using standard lab instrumentation (oscilloscope, DMM, logic/protocol analyzers).
• Characterize behavior across operating corners, document failure modes and resolutions, and handoff validated behavior and test procedures for productization.
• Maintain design documentation, interface control documents, and test procedures for productization.

Skills

Embedded firmware

C/C++

RTOS

I2C/SPI/UART

Hardware bring-up

Git

Python

Education

BS/MS in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering

Tools

Git

Python

CI/CD

Job description

Xscape Photonics in Santa Clara, CA seeks a skilled Firmware Engineer to lead validation and test firmware for our optical systems. You will bring-up, characterize, and qualify new hardware and control algorithms in embedded firmware.

Ideal candidates have a BS/MS in EE/CE and 3+ years in embedded firmware, with strong C/C++, I2C/SPI/UART, and experience in real-time platforms. You will work with production firmware, test automation, and lab instruments to iterate rapidly and hand off validated