Tech Lead, Optical Test Engineer (Silicon Photonics)

Asteralabs; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Astera Labs seeks a motivated Tech Lead – Optical Test Engineer to drive the development and deployment of optical test solutions for silicon photonics devices and modules. You will define test methodologies, lead test development, and guide a broader test organization to ensure efficient characterization, validation, and production testing.

The ideal candidate has strong optical testing experience, problem-solving skills, and the ability to collaborate across teams to enable reliable test

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, or related discipline.
• 5–7+ years of experience in optical testing, photonic device characterization, or optical transceiver development.
• Strong understanding of silicon photonics devices (modulators, photodetectors, multiplexers, grating couplers, edge couplers).
• Hands-on experience with optical test equipment: OSA, OMA, tunable lasers, polarization controllers, power meters, high-speed oscilloscopes, BERT/pattern generators.
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or C/C++ for test automation.
• Knowledge of optical communication standards (IEEE 802.3, OIF-CEI, CMIS).
• Familiarity with statistical analysis methods and data visualization tools.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement optical test architectures across wafer probe test, package test, and module validation.
• Execute characterization and qualification testing of CPO components and assemblies.
• Perform high-speed optical measurements including insertion loss, return loss, extinction ratio, eye diagrams, BER, and OMA.
• Characterize wavelength accuracy, channel spacing, spectral linearity, and crosstalk for WDM-based CPO architectures.
• Design and build optical test stations with fiber alignment, switches, tunable lasers, OSA, and high-speed scopes.
• Develop test automation software and scripts using Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, or C/C++.
• Implement high-throughput test solutions for wafer-scale and production testing.
• Analyze large-scale optical test data to identify trends and failure modes.
• Generate reports (Cpk, GR&R, SPC) to monitor process stability and repeatability.
• Collaborate with design/process teams to optimize performance.
• Create and maintain test documentation, SOPs, and knowledge bases.
• Interface with external suppliers and foundries on wafer-level test requirements.
• Participate in design reviews to ensure testability and provide DFT recommendations.

Skills

Optical testing

Python

MATLAB

LabVIEW

C/C++

Test automation

Statistical analysis

Education

MS or PhD in Electrical/Optical Engineering or Physics

Tools

OSA

OMA

Tunable lasers

Polarization controllers

Power meters

BERT/pattern generators

High-speed oscilloscopes

Job description

Astera Labs seeks a motivated Tech Lead – Optical Test Engineer to drive the development and deployment of optical test solutions for silicon photonics devices and modules. You will define test methodologies, lead test development, and guide a broader test organization to ensure efficient characterization, validation, and production testing.

The ideal candidate has strong optical testing experience, problem-solving skills, and the ability to collaborate across teams to enable reliable test