Senior Silicon Photonics Designer

Socket.dev; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

nEye.ai is seeking a hands-on Senior Packaging Failure Analysis Engineer to lead root-cause investigations across silicon photonics, MEMS, optical packaging, and electronic assemblies in Santa Clara, CA. You will specialize in cross-sectioning bonded components and interfacial analysis.

From non-destructive screening through destructive physical analysis, you will select characterization methods, translate results into corrective actions, and feed learnings back to design, manufacturing, and

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent with strong research background in photonics or packaging.
• Experience in failure analysis of silicon photonics, MEMS, and optical packaging.
• Proven ability to translate complex findings into actionable design/cprocess improvements.
• Hands-on experience with SEM/EDS and related analytical workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead root-cause investigations across silicon photonics and packaging.
• Perform cross-sectioning and interfacial analysis of bonded components.
• Define suitable characterization techniques for each problem and drive analyses.
• Communicate findings clearly to design, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
• Help build and expand in-house failure analysis capabilities.

Skills

Python programming

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Materials science intuition

Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering / Materials Science / Applied Physics / Chemistry

Tools

FDTD

EME

FEM

FIT

Microscopy

Job description

nEye.ai, a well-funded optical switch startup, is poised to revolutionize the future of data centers. nEye’s MEMS-based silicon photonics optical circuit switches (OCS) eliminate critical bottlenecks in AI processing by enabling direct optical connections among thousands of GPUs and memory units. The company's SuperSwitch is an ultra-low power consumption, high radix, compact chip-scale design, offering hyperscale data centers enhanced performance, efficiency, and scalability.

Position Summary

We are seeking a hands-on Senior Senior Packaging Failure Analysis Engineer to lead root-cause investigation of complex failures across our silicon photonics, MEMS, optical packaging, and electronic assemblies.

This role will have a particular focus on cross-sectioning bonded components and analyzing material interfaces, including adhesive/epoxy attach, fusion and eutectic bonding, solder interconnects, and hermetic packages. The ideal candidate combines a strong foundation in materials science and interfacial phenomena with deep practical experience in failure analysis, microscopy, analytical characterization, and sample preparation.

You will own investigations from initial non-destructive analysis through destructive physical analysis, determine the appropriate characterization technique for each problem, translate findings into actionable root cause and corrective actions, and feed learnings back into product design, packaging, manufacturing, and supplier processes.

Over time, this individual may also play a key role in building and expanding in-house failure analysis capabilities, including cross-sectioning/polishing, microscopy, SEM/EDS, and related analytical infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the Senior Engineer when collaborating with other nEye groups to optimize chip design for product system-level requirements
• Driving specific device designs and collaborating on fabrication methodologies.
• Designing photonic components and photonic integrated circuits to advance our optical switch technology.
• Developing, overseeing, and performing photonic component and system-level testing.
• Working cross-functionally with system and fabrication team members to develop improved optical switch capabilities.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Physics, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
• 4-8+ years hands-on experience with Silicon Photonics in an industry setting
• Strong understanding of microfabrication processes and related constraints on photonic component designs.
• Strong understanding and proficient experience of photonic component simulation tools such as FDTD, EME, FEM, or FIT.
• Strong proficiency in Python
• Experience with photonic integrated circuit layout and photonics foundry tape-out.
• Experience with designing and executing detailed photonic device experiments and characterization protocols.
• Strong communication skills in collaboration, verbal presentation, and written reports.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication (written and oral), and leadership skills.

nEye.ai is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.