Principal Analog Design Engineer

Neurophos, Inc.; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits - premiums covered

Unlimited PTO

401(k) matching

Stock option opportunities

Voluntary benefits

Job summary

Neurophos, Inc. seeks a seasoned Principal Analog Design Engineer to drive the full-custom analog front-end for our photonics-enabled AI platform. You will own transistor-level design, verification, and tape-out-ready layouts, advancing GHz-speed circuits from concept to production.

Location options include Austin, TX; Sunnyvale, CA; or Hsinchu, Taiwan. This full-time on-site role offers opportunities to impact core electronics and collaborate with photonics and digital teams.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering.
• 10+ years of full-custom analog IC design experience.
• 5+ years in GHz-speed RF or broadband analog design.
• Proficient with Cadence Virtuoso for schematic, simulation, and layout.

Responsibilities

• Design, simulate, and verify high-speed analog circuits including drivers, amplifiers, DACs/ADCs, and PLLs.
• Define block architecture and specifications from system requirements.
• Perform full-custom schematic capture and layout, including DRC/LVS, using Cadence Virtuoso.
• Ensure signal integrity and power integrity across high-speed interconnects.
• Conduct layout floor planning and post-layout extraction/verification.
• Collaborate with Photonics and Digital teams on electro-optic interfaces and production tests.

Skills

Analog IC design

GHz-speed RF design

Cadence Virtuoso

Layout/tape-out

Signal integrity

Education

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Cadence Virtuoso

Job description

About Neurophos

The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach.

Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.

We've assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft's Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others.

Join us and shape the future of computing!

Position Overview:

We are seeking a seasoned Principal Analog Design Engineer to play a vital role in developing cutting-edge full-custom electronic transceiver components that interface directly with our custom silicon photonics and are essential to our revolutionary photonic AI platform. You will own the full lifecycle of analog blocks, from specification and architecture to tape-out-ready layout. Success in this role requires a deep understanding of transistor-level circuit design, linearity, noise performance, and signal integrity in CMOS processes up to GHz speeds. If you possess a proven track record of designing robust, ultra-fast analog circuits and are eager to work at the intersection of electronics and photonics, you will make a defining impact on the future of optical computing.

Location: Austin, TX, Sunnyvale, CA, or Hsinchu, Taiwan. Full-time on-site position.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, simulate, and verify high-speed analog circuits, including high-swing drivers, transimpedance amplifiers, ADCs, DACs, and PLLs, in deep-submicron CMOS technologies.

• Define block architecture and specifications based on system-level requirements.

• Perform full-custom schematic capture, advanced analog simulations, and complete physical layout, including DRC/LVS, of critical analog blocks using Cadence Virtuoso.

• Ensure rigorous signal integrity and power integrity across all high-speed interconnects.

• Conduct layout floor planning.

• Conduct post-layout extraction and simulation to validate performance against parasitic effects.

• Collaborate closely with the Photonics and Digital teams to optimize the electro-optic interface and maximize cross-disciplinary performance.

• Collaborate with team members to prepare and conduct the bench characterization and production tests.

Qualifications:

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering.

• 10+ years of professional experience in full-custom analog integrated circuit design, 5+ years of dedicated experience in either GHz-speed RF or GHz-speed broadband analog design.

• Demonstrated expert proficiency in the Cadence tool suite, specifically Virtuoso schematic, simulation, and custom layout.

• Deep understanding of semiconductor device physics, linearity, noise analysis, and high-frequency circuit theory.

• Proven track record of taking high-speed analog blocks from concept to mass production (successful tape-outs).

Preferred Skills:

• A background in photonic transceivers or optical communication electronics.

• Extensive design experience in TSMC latest technology nodes, such as N5P, N3P, and N2P.

• Experience designing high-speed data converters.

• Experience designing low-jitter clocking circuits, including PLLs.

• Proficiency in electromagnetic simulation tools such as EMX or HFSS.

• Experience with frequency domain simulation in Spectre RF.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You'll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.

Benefits

Join a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer:

• 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.

• Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.

• 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.

• Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.

• Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.