Senior Photonic IC Design Engineer (PIC Tapeout)

Darwin Recruitment; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment partners with an innovative technology company developing photonic integrated circuits for next‑generation computing applications. The role covers end‑to‑end design from device level to fabrication, working with IC design, packaging and measurement teams to deliver high‑performance photonic hardware.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in PIC design and strong proficiency with Lumerical, Cadence, Synopsys and KLayout.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in photonic integrated circuit design.
• Proficiency with photonic design and simulation tools (Lumerical, Cadence, Synopsys, KLayout).
• Ownership of PIC tapeouts from initial design through to fabrication submission.
• Strong understanding of silicon photonics device physics and integrated optical components.
• PhD or postdoctoral research experience will be considered.

Responsibilities

• Design and simulate photonic devices and integrated circuits, including waveguides, modulators, photodetectors and optical couplers.
• Own photonic circuit layout, design rule checking (DRC), layout-versus-schematic (LVS) and tapeout processes.
• Ensure photonic designs meet system-level optical and electrical performance requirements.
• Collaborate with packaging engineers to address photonic assembly, integration and manufacturability constraints.
• Work with measurement and test teams to define characterisation strategies and validate device performance.
• Coordinate with foundry partners to prepare designs for fabrication and support the transition from design to silicon.

Skills

Photonic IC design

Device-level design

Education

PhD or postdoctoral research experience considered

Tools

Lumerical

Cadence

Synopsys

KLayout

Job description

Darwin Recruitment partners with an innovative technology company developing photonic integrated circuits for next‑generation computing applications. The role covers end‑to‑end design from device level to fabrication, working with IC design, packaging and measurement teams to deliver high‑performance photonic hardware.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in PIC design and strong proficiency with Lumerical, Cadence, Synopsys and KLayout.