Senior PIC Designer

OpenLight; United States; Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive stock options

Health insurance

401k matching

Unlimited vacation

Spot bonuses

Job summary

OpenLight is seeking a PIC Designer to join the PIC Architecture team, driving development of heterogeneous photonics platforms. You will own engineering activities across prototype stages, support design reviews, analyze device data, and optimize performance across variations.

You will collaborate with test, operations, and reliability teams, contribute to qualification and release, and work in a hybrid schedule with strong documentation and data analysis skills.

Qualifications

• MS/PhD in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
• 1-2 years minimum of relevant photonics or semiconductor devices experience.
• Detail oriented with strong documentation discipline.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced development environment.
• Ability to interpret large datasets and extract actionable insights.

Responsibilities

• Own engineering activities across prototype and development stages for PIC-based optical products.
• Support design and layout reviews for PICs, ensuring adherence to design rules and manufacturability.
• Perform data analysis on device and system-level measurements to evaluate performance trends and variability.
• Drive debug, root cause analysis, and performance optimization across process and design variations.
• Interface with test engineering teams to define test plans, requirements, and measurement methodologies for PICs.
• Interface with the system engineering team to provide thermal model, support EVT/DVT test and PIC system test.
• Generate, maintain, and update design docs, test reports and characterization summaries.
• Ensure PIC performance meets specifications and compliance requirements.
• Collaborate with operations and reliability teams to support qualification, yield improvement, and product release for PICs.

Skills

Data analysis

Python (NumPy/Pandas)

JMP

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional communication

Documentation

Statistical evaluation

Dataset interpretation

Education

MS/PhD in Optics/Physics/EE/Materials Science

Tools

JMP

Python

Job description

As a PIC Designer, you will be part of the PIC Architecture team, owning and supporting the development of OpenLight PICs that are built on heterogeneous III-V and silicon photonics platforms. This role bridges design, test, operations, and reliability to ensure successful development, qualification, and release, and is sure to grow and deepen your technical skills in photonics, as well as your product development capacities.

What You Will Do

• Own engineering activities across prototype and development stages for PIC based optical products
• Support design and layout reviews for PICs, ensuring adherence to design rules and manufacturability
• Perform data analysis on device and system-level measurements to evaluate performance trends and variability
• Drive debug, root cause analysis, and performance optimization across process and design variations
• Interface with test engineering teams to define test plans, requirements, and measurement methodologies for PICs
• Interface with the system engineering team to provide thermal model, support EVT/DVT test and support PIC system test
• Generate, maintain, and update: design documentation, test reports and characterization summaries, product datasheets
• Make sure PIC performance meets specifications and compliance requirements
• Collaborate with operations and reliability teams to support qualification, yield improvement, and product release for PICs
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
• 1-2 years minimum of relevant industry or research experience in photonics or semiconductor devices
• Detail oriented with strong documentation discipline
• Ability to work in a fast-paced development environment
• Ability to interpret large datasets and extract actionable insights
• Good understanding of optical components and systems, including lasers (e.g., DFB), modulators (e.g., EAM), photodetectors, and silicon photonics platforms
• Proficient in data analysis tools like JMP and Python (NumPy, Pandas, plotting)
• Experience working with test data analysis, characterization, and statistical evaluation
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Effective cross-functional communication skills

About OpenLight

OpenLight Photonics is an innovative start-up at the forefront of photonic integration, commercializing our cutting-edge heterogeneously integrated silicon photonics platform. OpenLight has a PDK that supports customers designing Photonic ASICs (PASICs) for applications in communications, LIDAR, quantum computing, sensing, and more. OpenLight has over 300 patents covering the integration of many different active and passive components, such as tunable lasers, DFBs, SOAs, modulators, switches, filters, and detectors, onto a single, silicon photonics chip. Join us in an exciting start-up environment with ample opportunities for growth and professional development.

We continue with a hybrid schedule, with a standard of three days/week in office; you select the days you're in, based on what's best for your work priorities.

OpenLight's salary for technical roles is dependent on the skills and experience of the individual, their primary work location, and other parameters; annual salary will generally be somewhere between $130,000-$230,000. In addition to cash compensation, OpenLight offers incentive stock options (ISOs), generous insurance support, 401k matching, unlimited vacation, spot bonuses, and a positive work environment. If you are excited about solving challenging problems, advancing cutting-edge technology, and working with a highly collaborative team, we would love to hear from you.