PIC Characterization Engineer

black.ai; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

black.ai in Palo Alto is seeking a skilled professional to lead the characterization and validation of advanced integrated photonic systems. You will support the bring-up and testing of photonic devices, collaborating closely with teams across photonics design, manufacturing, and firmware to ensure rapid development.

The ideal candidate possesses a Ph.D. or M.S. degree, with at least 3 years of hands-on experience in photonic systems. Base pay ranges from $110,000 to $145,000 USD, with higher pay for the Bay Area.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in photonic characterization or integrated photonics development.
• Hands-on experience with optical lab equipment and test automation.
• Experience characterizing active photonic and electro-photonic systems.

Responsibilities

• Perform optical and electro-photonic characterization of PICs and photonic sub-assemblies.
• Develop automated test frameworks for validation and calibration.
• Document test procedures and summarize technical results.

Skills

Photonic characterization

Test automation

Data analysis with Python

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Ph.D. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, or related field

Tools

Optical lab equipment

Tunable lasers

OSAs

Power meters

Scopes

Probe stations

Job description

Job Summary

Lead characterization and validation of advanced integrated photonic systems for next-generation optical interconnects.

Support photonic sub-assembly bring-up, system testing, calibration, and performance analysis from prototype through product maturation.

Develop scalable automated test methodologies for active photonic devices and electro-photonic systems.

Collaborate closely with photonic designers, electronics, packaging, firmware, and manufacturing teams to enable rapid development cycles.

Responsibilities

• Perform optical and electro-photonic characterization of PICs and photonic sub-assemblies.
• Develop automated test frameworks for validation, calibration, and data collection.
• Characterize active photonic devices including switches, modulators, heaters, and monitor photodiodes.
• Analyze metrics including insertion loss, crosstalk, switching speed, bandwidth, and power consumption.
• Work with photonic designers to correlate silicon results with simulations and improve designs.
• Support hardware bring-up, debugging, and failure analysis.
• Document test procedures and summarize technical results for cross-functional teams.

Experience/Qualifications

• Ph.D. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in photonic characterization or integrated photonics development.
• Hands‑on experience with optical lab equipment such as tunable lasers, OSAs, power meters, scopes, and probe stations.
• Experience characterizing active photonic and electro-photonic systems.
• Strong test automation and data analysis skills using Python.
• Familiarity with calibration methods, thermal tuning, and photonic control systems.
• Strong debugging and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Base pay ranges: U.S. Base Pay - $110,000 to $145,000 USD.

Bay Area Pay - $152,000 to $175,000 USD.