Senior PIC Design

Darwin Recruitment; California; On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment is seeking a Senior Photonics Integrated Circuit Designer to design and develop complex PICs from concept through tape-out. You will collaborate with device, layout, packaging and systems engineers to deliver high-performance photonic platforms.

This role offers opportunities to influence product architecture and technical direction while working on challenging, first-of-its-kind photonic technologies.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in photonics or related field.
• Industry experience designing PICs.
• Strong knowledge of silicon photonics.
• Experience with PIC layout tools.
• Experience with fabrication and validation.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimise photonic integrated circuits including passive and active optical components.
• Develop photonic building blocks such as waveguides, splitters, couplers, modulators and detectors.
• Perform simulation and modelling to validate device performance and optimise designs for manufacturability.
• Work closely with layout engineers to prepare designs for fabrication and tape-out.
• Collaborate with packaging, test and systems teams to support device characterisation and product development.
• Analyse measurement data and iterate designs to improve performance and yield.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to the development of design methodologies and PDK libraries.

Skills

Photonics

IC Design

Teamwork

EM simulation

Education

MSc/PhD in Photonics

Tools

Lumerical

Ansys

Photon Design

Cadence Virtuoso

KLayout

OptoCompiler

Job description

Senior PIC Design

The Role

As a Senior Photonics Integrated Circuit Designer, you'll play a key role in designing and developing complex photonic integrated circuits from concept through tape-out. Working closely with device, layout, packaging and systems engineers, you'll help deliver high-performance PICs for cutting-edge optical platforms.

This is an opportunity to influence both product architecture and technical direction while working on challenging, first-of-its-kind photonic technologies.

What You'll Do

• Design and optimise photonic integrated circuits including passive and active optical components.
• Develop photonic building blocks such as waveguides, splitters, couplers, modulators and detectors.
• Perform simulation and modelling to validate device performance and optimise designs for manufacturability.
• Work closely with layout engineers to prepare designs for fabrication and tape-out.
• Collaborate with packaging, test and systems teams to support device characterisation and product development.
• Analyse measurement data and iterate designs to improve performance and yield.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to the development of design methodologies and PDK libraries.

What We’re Looking For

• MSc or PhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics or a related discipline.
• Several years of industry experience designing photonic integrated circuits.
• Strong understanding of silicon photonics or other integrated photonic platforms.
• Experience with photonic simulation tools such as Lumerical, Ansys, Photon Design, Synopsys OptSim or equivalent.
• Familiarity with PIC layout tools including Cadence Virtuoso, KLayout, Synopsys OptoCompiler or similar.
• Experience taking designs through fabrication and experimental validation.
• Strong knowledge of optical device physics and electromagnetic simulation.
• Excellent communication skills and experience working within cross-functional engineering teams.

Nice to Have

• Experience with coherent optics, optical interconnects, LiDAR, quantum photonics or sensing technologies.
• Knowledge of semiconductor fabrication processes and design rules.
• Python, MATLAB or scripting experience for design automation and data analysis.
• Previous experience contributing to PDK development or custom photonic design flows.

Oliver Logan