Silicon Photonics Engineer

black.ai; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

black.ai based in Palo Alto, California is looking for a Silicon Photonics Engineer to lead the design and implementation of advanced photonic integrated circuits. This role includes the complete development cycle from concept generation to design verification, appealing to those who can combine theoretical and practical expertise.

The ideal candidate will possess a PhD in a relevant field and have at least 5 years of experience in integrated photonics, strong analytical skills, and proficiency in using commercial design tools such as Lumerical and IPKISS.

Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.
• Strong computational and analytical skills applied to photonic device design.
• In-depth knowledge of photonic devices, including metrics and testing techniques.

Responsibilities

• Interact with design teams to assist in development of photonic systems.
• Support foundry tape‑outs with design and verification.
• Develop comprehensive documentation for tape‑outs.

Skills

Computational and analytical skills applied to photonic device design

Knowledge of photonic devices

Experience with Lumerical simulation suite

Photonic layout using IPKISS or gdsfactory

Python for scientific applications

Excellent communication skills

Education

PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering or Physics

Tools

Lumerical simulation suite

IPKISS

gdsfactory

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a creative and hands‑on Silicon Photonics Engineer to drive the design and implementation of next‑generation photonic integrated circuits. This role spans the full development cycle of silicon photonic devices and subsystems, from device concept generation and electromagnetic simulation to physical layout, tape‑out support, and design verification. The ideal candidate is comfortable moving between theoretical modeling and practical implementation, with strong intuition for both photonic device physics and layout realization within foundry process constraints. Particularly, this position is focusing on efforts for complex switching circuit application.

Responsibilities

• Interact with device, hardware, and system design teams to assist in overall development of photonic systems and devices.
• Support foundry tape‑outs with photonic device design, design of experiments, layout, design verification, PDK development, and software development.
• Develop comprehensive documentation for tape‑outs.
• Provide multi‑disciplinary support to component and systems teams by resolving technical issues associated with components, parts, or systems.
• Apply quantitative analysis in determining root cause of highly technical problems and propose, develop, and implement solutions for corrective action.

Experience / Qualifications

• Education: PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering or Physics.
• Experience: 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  • Strong computational and analytical skills applied to photonic device design and performance evaluation.
  • In‑depth knowledge of photonic devices, including performance metrics and testing techniques.
  • Extensive experience with photonic design using commercial software platforms such as Lumerical simulation suite.
  • Photonic layout experience using tools such as IPKISS, gdsfactory, or equivalent.
  • Extensive experience with Python for scientific applications and data analysis.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across technical and non‑technical teams.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.