Senior Laser Engineer

About Voyant:

Voyant Photonics, based in the heart of New York City,  is transforming machine perception with a new class of LiDAR devices that are compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand and powerful enough to measure range, velocity, and reflectivity with unparalleled accuracy. By leveraging cutting-edge silicon photonic chips smaller than your fingertip, we deliver sensors that are not only revolutionary in performance but also affordable enough to integrate into any system.

Our technology disrupts the status quo of bulky, expensive, and power-hungry LiDAR systems, making high-precision sensing accessible for widespread adoption in robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial automation, and beyond. With Voyant, the next generation of machines can see, understand, and navigate the world like never before.

Discover how we’re redefining what’s possible by making real products out of cutting-edge research in silicon photonics.

The Opportunity:

Voyant Photonics is bringing the next generation of sensors to market by reducing cost and size by more than 90% and bringing semiconductor-style scaling to 3D sensing. Our technology is redefining what’s possible in LiDAR and machine perception by integrating high-performance photonics directly onto silicon.

The Senior Laser Design Engineer plays a critical role at the heart of our LiDAR system. The laser is the core of Voyant’s LiDAR engine on chip and is fundamental to achieving long-range performance, high resolution, and system reliability. In this role, you will bridge the gap between laser design and silicon photonics design, working at the intersection of device physics, integrated photonics, and real-world productization. You will collaborate closely with our silicon photonics, electronics, and packaging teams, as well as with external manufacturing partners, to take advanced laser concepts from design through scalable production.

This is a high-impact role for an engineer who wants to own a mission-critical subsystem and help define the future of chip-scale LiDAR and 3D sensing.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the identification and development of integrated InP semiconductor laser and SOA solutions for silicon photonic LiDAR systems.

• Design, simulate, and characterize state-of-the-art narrow-linewidth DFB, DBR, and external-cavity lasers used as LiDAR seed sources.

• Develop high-power, wide-temperature-range SOAs to enable long-range LiDAR operation in industrial and automotive environments.

• Own hands-on design and simulation of laser cavities and epitaxial structures to meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability targets.

• Drive architectural decisions for the light source, advising the broader system and silicon photonics teams on optimal approaches.

• Partner closely with Voyant’s packaging and silicon photonics teams to integrate InP sources into PICs, evaluating coupling efficiency, thermal behavior, yield, and scalability.

• Manage and grow external III-V vendor relationships and supply chain strategy, scaling toward high-volume production (up to millions of die per year).

• Lead in-house and partner-based characterization and validation of light source performance, using data to guide design iterations and next-generation chip architectures.

• Define test strategies, performance metrics, and qualification plans for laser and SOA subsystems.

• Contribute to system-level LiDAR performance trade studies, linking laser and amplifier design choices to range, resolution, and reliability.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of hands-on experience in semiconductor laser design, troubleshooting, and integration.

• Deep expertise in the design, fabrication, and characterization of III-V edge-emitting lasers, with a strong preference for uncooled InP systems operating at 1310 nm or 1550 nm.

• Proven track record of integrating lasers into commercial products and scaling from prototype to production.

• Demonstrated experience working effectively with external foundry, packaging, and supply chain partners.

• Strong ability to evaluate design trade-offs and present options to drive product development and system-level decisions.

• Experience with optical simulation, cavity modeling, and epitaxy considerations is highly desirable.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, capable of bridging cross-functional teams including photonics, electronics, and packaging.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of III-V heterostructure design and epitaxial growth considerations.

• Familiarity with co-packaging of III-V materials with silicon photonics.

• Experience with testing and characterization of single-wavelength laser systems.

• Proficiency in Python for data analysis, automation, and simulation tasks.

• Experience with optical simulation tools (e.g., Lumerical, COMSOL, or equivalent) is a plus.

• Prior exposure to high-volume manufacturing and scalability considerations for photonics components.

Benefits Package:

• Competitive base salary and meaningful equity package.

• Comprehensive health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision).

• Unlimited PTO and paid company holidays.

• Team events and company meetups.

• Complimentary lunch provided daily at our NYC office

Equal Opportunity Employer

Voyant Photonics is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or partnership status, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, or any other characteristic protected by law.