Senior Staff Electro-Optic Systems Architect

Socket.dev; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Health Care Plan

Retirement Savings Matching Program

Equity grants

Flexible, hybrid workplace model

Job summary

Lightmatter is hiring an Electro-Optic Systems Architect to design and deliver photonics-based solutions for high-volume data center products. You will partner with cross-functional teams to ensure electrical-optical-electrical links meet customer requirements and performance targets.

The role requires deep expertise in CMOS, silicon photonics, 40+ GHz interfaces, and 3D integration, with opportunities to present at technical conferences and contribute to product strategy.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or related field with extensive experience (>=5 yrs) or Master’s with substantial experience (>=8 yrs).
• Strong background in electronic-photonic-electronic system simulation and high-speed photonics testing.

Responsibilities

• Design end-to-end electro-optical-electrical links to meet customer requirements.
• Co-design silicon photonic devices with photonics and design teams.
• Model and analyze photonics architectures using Cadence and RF tools.
• Validate models with high-speed RF experiments and data analysis.
• Collaborate with electronics and photonics engineers to meet performance and production targets.
• Present contributions to internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Python

Matlab

RF/mm-wave analog circuit design

modeling optical links

Monte Carlo analysis

corner analysis

team collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering

M.S. in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Cadence photonics-analog simulators

Ansys HFSS

Keysight ADS

Job description

Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.

Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!

If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.

Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!

We are hiring an Electro-Optic Systems Architect. The selected candidate will partner with external facing teams at Lightmatter and internal engineering teams to deliver groundbreaking products to the market. In this role, you will contribute to the design and development of innovative photonics architecture solutions to deliver high-volume products for our customers. In particular, you will be responsible for ensuring that Passage’s electrical-optical-electrical links are operational and meet customer requirements. You will engage with our cross-disciplinary engineering teams to model and analyze solutions. You may also test and measure prototypes to validate the models. This role requires a solid understanding of leading-edge CMOS, advanced silicon photonics, high-speed (40+ GHz) electro-optic interfaces, and 3D integration. The role also requires creativity, analytical skills, and clear communication skills. You are encouraged to represent the company at technical conferences as an example of our technical leadership.

Join a tight-knit team where each individual’s contributions directly influence the success of the company and product. You'll have the opportunity to build a new kind of computer from the ground up and to solve groundbreaking challenges along the way. Work with people who love to build and who thrive in technically diverse environments where great ideas are prioritized.

Responsibilities

• Creative problem-solving and contributing to high-performance electro-optic architecture solutions for high-volume products.
• Electro-optic system modeling using Cadence photonics-analog simulators (Verilog-A, Spectre, Virtuoso), VPI Photonics, and Keysight ADS.
• Design the end-to-end electrical-optical-electrical system-level link to meet the customer requirements.
• Co-design the silicon photonic devices with the photonics architecture and design teams based on the end-to-end simulation results.
• Validate the models by designing high-speed RF experiments, conducting proof-of-concept experiments, and analyzing existing data.
• Actively collaborate with electronics and photonics engineers to specify, design, and validate circuits that meet performance, power, and production requirements.
• Document and present your contributions to internal and external stakeholders

This is not a complete listing of the responsibilities. It’s a representation of the things you will be doing.

Qualifications

• A Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or similar discipline with at least 5 years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with at least 8 years of relevant experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in electronic-photonic-electronic systems simulation
• Minimum 2 years of experience in hardware testing and measurements of photonic high-speed optical modulators and receivers.
• Proficient in Cadence photonics-analog simulators (Virtuoso, Spectre, Verilog-A), Ansys HFSS, Keysight ADS.
• Highly proficient in coding simulations in Python or Matlab.
• Highly proficient in RF/mm-wave analog circuit design.
• Highly proficient modeling optical communication links.
• Experience with corner analysis and Monte Carlo analysis.
• Experience collaborating with photonics and electronics teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in product development or projects with industry.
• Silicon photonic integrated circuit design and test experience.
• Knowledge of signal processing and signal integrity in optical communications.
• Knowledge of SERDES and mixed signal interfaces.
• Strong publication record.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness and ability to learn quickly. Self-starter with a “no task is too big or small” attitude.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Savings Matching Program
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Paid Family Leave
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Commuter Benefits
• Flexible, hybrid workplace model
• Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)

Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

Export Control

Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.