Silicon Photonic IC (PIC) Design Engineer

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Silicon Photonic IC Design Engineer to play a key role in the design and physical layout of advanced Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) that interface directly with custom ASICs built on leading-edge semiconductor process nodes. This position offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of photonics, analog, and digital design — helping to define and deliver next-generation optical and electronic systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and physical layout of complex Silicon Photonic ICs (PICs) that connect directly with advanced ASICs.

• Participate in all stages of PIC delivery — from floor planning and block placement to micro-architecture, optical/electrical routing, and back-end verification (DRC/LVS).

• Collaborate with analog, digital, and packaging teams to ensure optimal design outcomes that meet requirements for opto-electronic performance, signal integrity (SI), and power integrity (PI).

• Work closely with other photonics engineers to refine layout methodologies, improve design automation, and enhance existing software-based verification and layout flows.

Qualifications

Specialized Skills

• Strong understanding of photonics fundamentals and core engineering design principles.

• Hands-on experience with Silicon Photonics Process Design Kits (PDKs) and best practices for designing and laying out photonic components, subsystems, and complete PICs.

• Proficiency with physical design tools such as Cadence, Siemens Mentor, or Klayout, including scripting and automation using SKILL or Python.

• Familiarity with layout verification tools (e.g., Calibre, Pegasus) for DRC, ERC, and LVS checks.

• Experience with SI and PI-aware electrical routing for mixed-signal and digital designs is a strong advantage.

Education

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with a focus on integrated photonics or optical device design.

Preferred Attributes

• Highly self-motivated with a proactive approach to problem-solving.

• Creative thinker with strong attention to detail.

• Thrives in a collaborative and fast-paced environment.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.