Sr. Physical Design Engineer

Lumilens; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Professional development

Cutting-edge technology access

Cloud platforms access

Collaborative work environment

Job summary

Lumilens is seeking a Senior Physical Design Engineer to join our silicon design team, developing high‑performance ASICs on 5nm and 3nm TSMC nodes. You will own physical implementation from RTL to GDSII and drive timing and power closure for ultra‑high‑speed designs.

Collaborate with RTL, STA, IP, and verification teams to solve advanced implementation challenges. Proficiency in floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, and RC extraction is essential, along with scripting skills in Tcl or Python

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of hands-on physical design experience, preferably with advanced technology nodes at 5nm or below.
• Strong experience with floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, IR drop mitigation, timing closure, and signoff debugging.
• Hands-on experience with tools such as Synopsys ICC2, RedHawk SC, Cadence Innovus, Voltus, Siemens Calibre, along with scripting skills in Tcl, Python, or Perl.

Responsibilities

• Own full-chip and block-level physical implementation, including floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, and physical verification for high-speed designs in advanced TSMC nodes.
• Collaborate closely with RTL and STA teams to ensure clean handoffs and convergent timing, area, and power closure across complex design blocks and full chip.
• Apply physical design techniques for multi‑voltage and multi‑frequency domains, hierarchical implementation, physical‑aware synthesis, congestion mitigation, skew optimization, and RC extraction‑aware placement and routing.
• Perform tapeout signoff activities, including PV, EM/IR, ESD and ejobview using industry‑standard verification tools.

Skills

8+ years of physical design experience

Floorplanning

Placement

CTS

Routing

IR drop mitigation

Timing closure

Signoff debugging

Tcl scripting

Python scripting

Perl scripting

High‑Speed PHY implementation

Advanced-node signoff

2.5D/3D design experience

CoWoS or SoIC‑X knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering or related field

Tools

Synopsys ICC2

Cadence Innovus

RedHawk SC

Voltus

Siemens Calibre

Job description

ABOUT LUMILENS

At Lumilens we are building the critical photonics infrastructure that powers tomorrow’s AI supercomputing. From chip-to-chip optical interconnects to scalable photonic engines, Lumilens is unlocking a new era of computing faster, cooler, and massively more efficient.

We’re a well‑funded startup backed by Mayfield and led by veterans who’ve built and scaled some of the most transformative technologies in the industry. This isn’t incremental innovation, it’s a ground‑floor opportunity to rethink the optical layer from the silicon up. You’ll work alongside a team of world‑class engineers solving some of the hardest challenges in optics, systems, and scale. Every line of code, every design decision, every breakthrough you help deliver will shape the infrastructure of tomorrow.

If you're looking for mission, momentum, and the chance to make an outsized impact, jump on the rocket ship. We’re just getting started.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Physical Design Engineer to join our silicon design team developing high‑performance ASIC using TSMC advance process nodes, including 5nm and 3nm. In this role, you will own physical implementation from RTL to GDSII, drive timing and power closure for ultra‑high‑speed designs, and work closely with RTL, STA, IP, and verification teams to solve complex implementation challenges unique to advanced‑node and high‑speed transceiver architectures.

Key Responsibilities

1. Physical Implementation: Own full‑chip and block‑level physical implementation, including floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, and physical verification for high‑speed designs in advanced TSMC nodes.

2. Timing, Power, and Area Closure: Collaborate closely with RTL and STA teams to ensure clean handoffs and convergent timing, area, and power closure across complex design blocks and full chip.

3. Advanced Physical Design: Apply physical design techniques for multi‑voltage and multi‑frequency domains, hierarchical implementation, physical‑aware synthesis, congestion mitigation, skew optimization, and RC extraction‑aware placement and routing.

4. Signoff and Tape out: Perform tapeout signoff activities, including PV, EM/IR, ESD and ejobview using industry‑standard verification tools.

Qualifications

1. Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field.

2. Experience: 8+ years of hands‑on physical design experience, preferably with advanced technology nodes at 5nm or below.

3. Physical Design Expertise: Strong experience with floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, IR drop mitigation, timing closure, and signoff debugging.

4. Tools and Automation: Hands‑on experience with tools such as Synopsys ICC2, RedHawk SC, Cadence Innovus, Voltus, Simens Calibre etc., along with strong scripting skills in Tcl, Python, or Perl.

Preferred Qualifications

1. High‑Speed PHY Implementation: Experience with high‑speed PHY such as SerDes, UCIe etc. physical design implementation.

2. Advanced‑Node Signoff: Familiarity with EM/IR analysis, power grid optimization, congestion analysis, physical verification, and tapeout signoff in advanced semiconductor process nodes.

3. High‑Frequency Design Exposure: Experience supporting high‑frequency datapath or DSP‑heavy designs is a plus.

4. 2.5D or 3D design experience: Experience with TSMC CoWoS or SoIC‑X design experience is a strong plus.

What we offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience

• Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance

• Professional development opportunities and certification support

• Access to cutting‑edge technology and cloud platforms

• Collaborative work environment with cross‑functional teams

*Lumilens is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, identity, orientation, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.