Senior PIC Designer

Darwin Recruitment; California (MO); On-site; USD 130,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment seeks a Senior Silicon Photonics PIC Design Engineer in California. The role focuses on design, simulation, layout and validation of Silicon Photonics PICs for high-speed optical interconnects.

You will work with multidisciplinary teams to deliver advanced photonic devices from concept through fabrication and validation. Qualifications include a Master’s in Physics/EE/Optics or a PhD in a related field, with experience in RF/SI analysis, MZM/MRM devices, and Python scripting.

Qualifications

• Design silicon photonic devices and PICs using industry-standard tools.
• Model, simulate and optimize high-speed optical devices and circuits.
• Include RF and SI analysis for high-speed photonic systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and simulate silicon photonic devices and PICs.
• Collaborate with photonic design, layout and process engineering teams.
• Work with fabrication teams to optimize performance and manufacturability.
• Develop test and qualification plans with validation teams.
• Validate optical link performance with EDA/packaging teams.
• Support multiple design iterations from concept to fabrication and product development.

Skills

Silicon photonics design

Photonic simulation tools

RF & SI analysis

MZM / MRM design

WDM components

Python scripting

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering or Optics

PhD in a related field

Job description

Senior Silicon Photonics PIC Design Engineer

Location: California (On-site)
Position Type: Full-Time

A leading semiconductor and connectivity technology company is seeking a Senior Silicon Photonics PIC Design Engineer to develop next-generation Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) for high-speed optical communication applications. This role will focus on the design, simulation, layout, and validation of advanced silicon photonic devices, working across multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver high-performance optical interconnect technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and simulate silicon photonic devices and PICs using industry-standard photonic simulation and design tools.
• Collaborate with photonic design, layout and process engineering teams to develop high-performance integrated photonic circuits.
• Work closely with fabrication teams to optimise device performance, manufacturability and process monitoring structures.
• Develop test and qualification plans in partnership with validation and quality engineering teams.
• Validate optical link performance alongside electronic IC, packaging and system engineering teams.
• Support multiple design iterations from concept through fabrication, characterisation and product development.

Education

• Master’s degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Optics or a related discipline with significant relevant industry experience.

OR

• PhD in a relevant field with several years of industrial experience in silicon photonics or integrated photonic device development.

Required Experience & Skills

• Strong experience designing silicon photonic devices using industry-standard photonic simulation and layout tools.
• Expertise in modelling, simulation and optimisation of high-speed optical devices and integrated photonic circuits.
• Experience with RF and Signal Integrity (SI) analysis for high-speed photonic systems, including:
  • High-speed optical modulators and photodetectors.
  • Electronic subsystems such as driver circuits, transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) and high-speed PCB interfaces.
  • End-to-end optical transceiver performance and system-level optimisation.
• Hands-on experience designing active optical components such as Mach-Zehnder Modulators (MZM) and Microring Modulators (MRM).
• Experience designing passive photonic components including optical couplers, splitters, polarization management devices and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) structures.
• Proficiency with Python or other scripting languages for data analysis, modelling and design automation.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration skills.