Senior Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer . NVIDIA

Design Better Podcast; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 168,000 - 311,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

NVIDIA is seeking a Senior Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer to join the global circuits team. You will lead thermo‑mechanical design of silicon photonic ICs, perform stress simulations, and validate thermal performance across packaging and assembly conditions.

You will collaborate with optical and system engineers, apply Ansys tools, and contribute to reliable high‑speed interconnects in GPUs and other photonic applications, with opportunities for equity and growth.

Qualifications

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with 5+ years of experience.
• 3+ years of experience in silicon photonics ICs from concept to high-volume manufacturing.
• Hands-on experience with Silicon Photonics products.
• Experience with design tools and fixtures for alignment, fabrication, and assembly of lasers and optical components.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Work on Thermal and Structural design of Silicon Photonic designs.
• Run stress simulations in optical components and fiber alignment; propose improved designs.
• Set up experimental methodology for thermal validation and laser performance under stress.
• Model die-package thermo-mechanical interactions.
• Solder joint fatigue and creep modeling.
• Support the opto-mechanical system design with leads.
• Predict failures during assembly and reliability tests and recommend changes.
• Hygroscopic stresses in electronic packages due to moisture diffusion.
• Crack propagation and interfacial delamination.
• Thermal characterization of electronic packages per JEDEC standards.

Skills

Silicon photonics

Cross-functional teamwork

Communication

System performance definitions

Moore's law alignment?

Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering or Physics

Tools

Ansys

Job description

We are now looking for a Senior Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer. We are part of the global circuits team at NVIDIA that craft the state-of-the-art GPUs for all applications such as supercomputers, gaming consoles and self-driving cars. Come join us in our mission to Engineer the next generation of outstanding products. Teams are dedicated to the architecture and design of CMOS and Silicon-Photonics high-speed chip interfaces (NVLink, IEEE, PCIE, USB, OIF) and other sophisticated photonic functions. Strong hands-on lab experience with silicon evaluation, debugging, characterization, and bring up.

What you will be doing:

• Work on Thermal and Structural design of Silicon Photonic designs
• Run stress simulation in optical components and fiber alignment and propose improved design of optical components.
• Set up experimental methodology for thermal validation and laser performance under different stress conditions.
• Modeling Si die-package thermo-mechanical interactions
• Solder joint fatigue and creep modeling
• Support the optical engineering and system engineering leads with the opto-mechanical system design.
• Die-package thermo-mechanical interactions in electronic packages for predicting failures during various assembly and reliability tests to recommend design, process or material changes.
• Hygroscopic stresses in electronic packages due to moisture diffusion.
• Crack propagation and interfacial delamination.
• Multifaceted simulation of wire-bonding and wire fusing process
• Thermal characterization of electronic packages (crafting thermal specification datasheets based on FE and experiments according to JEDEC standards)
• Solder joint fatigue and creep modeling

What we need to see:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a similar discipline (or equivalent experience) with 5+ years of experience in a related field
• 3+ years of experience in the development of silicon photonics ICs from concept to high-volume manufacturing
• Experience in product development of optics or photonic systems
• Experience in applied research on Silicon Photonic ICs and Systems
• Hands-on experience with Silicon Photonics products
• Proficient in Ansys tools
• Background with design tools and fixtures to aid in alignment, fabrication, gluing, and assembly of lasers, interferometers, and optical components
• Experience working, communicating, and collaborating in a cross-functional team environment
• Experience defining system performance and component specifications
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Self-motivated and self-directed individual, with little supervision vital

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary ranges for this position are:
168,000 USD – 264,500 USD for Level 4; and 196,000 USD – 310,500 USD for Level 5.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until November 3, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.