Silicon Photonics Engineer

Psionic; Hampton (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Attractive benefits package

High-impact role

Job summary

A technology startup in Hampton, Virginia, is seeking a Silicon Photonics Engineer to design and develop silicon photonic components. You will work within a small, high-performing team, focusing on photonic integrated circuits for lidar systems. Responsibilities include designing subsystems from concept to fabrication, working with commercial foundries, and conducting device testing. A strong background in silicon photonics and collaborative skills are essential for this role. The company values innovation and offers competitive compensation.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with silicon photonics design and layout.
• Experience working with commercial foundry PDKs.
• Familiarity with photonic simulation tools.

Responsibilities

• Design silicon photonic components and subsystems from the ground up.
• Create and maintain PDK-based layouts for fabrication using script-driven tools.
• Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, packaging, and system engineers.

Skills

Silicon photonics design

Layout tools

Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams

Testing and characterization of devices

Education

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Applied Physics or related field

Tools

Photonic simulation tools (FDTD, EME)

Script-driven tools

Job description

Silicon Photonics Engineer

Psionic, Inc is a startup focused on lidar sensors and navigation systems for autonomous vehicles. We value our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. We offer a competitive salary and attractive benefits package.

We are adding a motivated Silicon Photonics Engineer to join our small, fast-moving team and help take photonic integrated circuits from concept to silicon. The successful candidate will be responsible for the design, layout, and verification of photonic integrated circuits (PIC) for FMCW lidar systems. You will work directly with commercial foundries, and see your layouts turn into fabricated chips. The role requires experience with PIC layout tools and foundry tape outs to complement our on-site team in Hampton, VA.

Job Description

The primary purpose of this position is to design and develop silicon photonic components and subsystems. You will work with a high-performing, multidisciplinary engineering team. A breadth of engineering expertise building real world high-speed, electro-optical systems is needed. Excellent communications skills are critical for success.

The successful candidate requires knowledge necessary to create and maintain PDK-based layouts for fabrication using script-driven tools. The job requires working directly with commercial CMOS/photonic foundries to prepare tape-outs, resolve DRC issues, and support fabrication runs. The applicant will interact with a broad interdisciplinary team composed of experts in integrated photonics device and circuit design, free space optical design, device test, quality, electrical ICs design, chip assembly, component packaging, etc.

Our designs must perform under stringent environmental conditions. Integrated optical sensors and supporting electronics are necessary to achieve high-performance requirements. The successful candidate will be familiar with the integrated photonics lab testing techniques and procedures to analyze and predict system performance across highly variable environmental conditions. The work involves hardware development as well as testing and conducting performance validation and verification of photonic devices.

Responsibilities

• Design silicon photonic components and subsystems from the ground up.
• Create and maintain PDK-based layouts for fabrication using script-driven tools.
• Work directly with commercial CMOS/photonic foundries to prepare tape-outs, resolve DRC issues, and support fabrication runs.
• Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, packaging, and system engineers.
• Test and characterize photonic devices.
• Document designs and contribute to internal design reviews.

Education and Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Applied Physics or related field
• Hands-on experience with silicon photonics design and layout.
• Experience working with commercial foundry PDKs.
• Experience with script-based layout workflows.
• Familiarity with photonic simulation tools (FDTD, EME, circuit-level modeling).
• Experience with optical lab setups and photonic device testing.
• Understanding of photonic design rules and tape-out processes.
• Familiarity with silicon photonic packaging concepts and techniques (e.g., fiber attach, edge/grating couplers, alignment, thermal management, and co-packaging considerations) is a plus.
• Exposure to RF or electronic-photonic co-design and packaging is a plus.

Why You'll Like Working Here

• High-impact role: your designs go to silicon and get tested.
• Small team with high trust and minimal bureaucracy.
• Direct interaction with foundries and decision-makers.
• Mix of design, coding, and hands-on lab work.

Psionic, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This position requires access to export-controlled technology or software source code and the position is subject to U.S. export control laws.