Sr Staff Integrated Photonics Laser Systems Architect

Lightmatter; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 212,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Retirement matching

Life insurance

Time off

Paid family leave

Disability coverage

Training & development

Hybrid workplace

Equity grants

Job summary

Lightmatter is hiring a Senior Staff Laser Architect to define the architecture of Guide, the laser platform, and Data-SOA in optical links for AI infrastructure. You will translate product and customer requirements into architectures and write specifications for design and systems teams.

You will lead the technical direction for both roadmaps and collaborate with device, circuit, packaging, controls and systems engineers to bring architectures to silicon and production.

Qualifications

• PhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics or related field.
• 8+ years hands-on experience in optical devices, PICs and semiconductor physics for laser/optical transceiver solutions.
• Strong Python skills for link budget modeling and simulations.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the Guide laser architecture from concept through high-volume production.
• Define and own the Data-SOA architecture for optical links.
• Produce laser module architecture specifications for hardware/software teams.
• Collaborate with the Passage team to align Guide and Passage architectures.
• Develop innovative high-performance laser solutions and validate through testing.
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration to design systems, control algorithms and interfaces.
• Define requirements for subsystems, device characterization, debug and validation.
• Lead production test and validation protocols with test engineers.

Skills

PhD in Photonics

8+ years optical devices

Python modeling

Effective communication

Analytical problem-solving

Collaborative mindset

Education

PhD in Photonics

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 a Senior Staff Laser Architect to join our Laser System Architecture & Engineering (LSAE) team. In this role, you will define the architecture of Guide™, Lightmatter's laser platform that supplies multi-wavelength optical power to photonic interconnects for AI infrastructure, and of Data-SOA, the semiconductor optical amplifier that boosts modulated data signals in the optical link. You will turn product and customer requirements into these architectures. For Guide, that means laser source technology, channel count and wavelength grid, wavelength locking and control, optical power splitting and monitoring, and the optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical interfaces of the Guide module. For Data-SOA, it means gain and placement in the link, multi-wavelength amplification, and bias and gain control. You will then write the specifications that our design and systems engineering teams build against. You will be the technical owner of the trade-offs in both product architectures. You will join a small architecture team that sets the technical direction for the Guide and Data-SOA roadmaps. The architecture you define becomes the reference that future generations build on, and you will have direct influence on which laser and amplifier technologies the company commits to. You will work alongside device, circuit, packaging, controls and systems engineers who will carry your architecture into silicon and into production.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the Guide laser architecture, from concept through high-volume production
• Define and own the Data-SOA architecture in Lightmatter’s optical links
• Deliver laser module architecture specifications and work closely with hardware and software teams to define functionality, interfaces, and documentation
• Actively collaborate with Lightmatter Passage team to drive alignment between Guide and Passage product architectures
• Engage in problem-solving to develop innovative high-performance laser solutions
• Actively collaborate across disciplines—with electronics, photonics, mechanical, and thermal engineering teams—to design systems, control algorithms, PICs, and PMICs that meet performance, power, and production requirements
• Engage with the engineering, product, sales, and architecture teams to define requirements for subsystems, device characterization, debug, and validation
• Validate architectures, models, and specifications via hands‑on testing of dies, prototype assemblies, and packaged modules
• Collaborate with test engineers and technicians to define production test and validation protocols, as well as to analyze and debug test results
• Work with external vendors to ensure timely development and delivery of key processes and components
• Contribute to the roadmap of laser development, improving performance, scalability, power consumption, and cost
• Publish and present novel ideas, and participate in premier photonics conferences

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related technical field
• 8+ years of hands‑on experience in optical devices, PICs, and semiconductor physics, with a track record of architecting laser or optical transceiver solutions from concept to volume manufacturing
• Expertise in mathematical modeling and simulation utilizing Python for link budget modeling, corner evaluation, and Monte Carlo simulations
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills to articulate complex engineering concepts to multidisciplinary teams and executive leadership
• Strong analytical problem‑solving skills with a proven capacity to tackle ambiguous, open‑ended engineering challenges
• Self‑driven initiative with a rapid learning curve and a collaborative, roll‑up‑your‑sleeves mindset

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience architecting lasers for datacom applications, such as external or integrated laser sources feeding CPO or optical I/O engines
• Experience with semiconductor optical amplifiers in datacom links: gain, noise figure, saturation, pattern effects and cross‑gain modulation in WDM, and III‑V/silicon heterogeneous SOA integration
• Solid foundation in semiconductor laser physics (comb sources, DFB, ECLs, RIN, linewidth, and thermal/wavelength locking) alongside silicon photonics integrated circuits
• Experience with wavelength locking, thermal tuning and power‑control loops, co‑simulated against physical models
• Experience with silicon photonics circuit simulations
• Experience taking products into a high‑volume manufacturing environment, including laser reliability and eye‑safety qualification
• Demonstrated technical leadership of a cross‑functional team
• Contributions to optical standards bodies (OIF, IEEE 802.3, MSAs), publications and patents

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

Salary Range

Salary Range: total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance‑based equity, and other rewards that recognize your impact and contribution.: $212,000 USD - $320,000 USD

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.