Photonics Design Engineer

Senior Photonics Design Engineer

HyperLight is a venture-backed startup spun off from Harvard University in 2018 based on discoveries that enabled thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonics. Our photonic integrated circuits offer exceptional performance unmatched by other materials and are manufactured at high volume and low cost. We design and manufacture tailored chips for customers around the world for optical communications, sensing, and emerging photonic technologies like quantum computing and AR/VR. We partner with our customers from conceptualization to mass production to deliver new regimes of system performance.

We are seeking a Senior Photonics Design Engineer to join our growing team. In this position, you will be responsible for the design and validation of photonic integrated circuit device components, including both passive optical devices like fiber couplers or wavelength multiplexers as well as active devices like thermos-optic phase shifters and electro-optic modulators. As a Senior Photonics Design Engineer, you will play a key role in developing cutting-edge solutions for advanced photonic integrated circuits.

Our team’s success stems from individuals who strive for excellence, embrace continuous learning, and practice humility and collaboration. If you share these values and have a passion for solving challenging problems, we encourage you to reach out!

We provide:

• • Competitive market-based compensation
  • Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, vision, and dental plans for individuals and families
  • 401(k) retirement plans with employee matching
  • Life and disability insurance
  • Commuter benefits and subsidies

• Professional growth and mentorship opportunities

Responsibilities:

• Own the design and delivery of high-performance, robust passive and/or active device components to our team and customers.
• Collaborate to define requirements for device components in our process design kit (PDK).
• Critically review existing literature on component design and select component architectures.
• Simulate component designs using FEA tools like Lumerical, Tidy3D, HFSS, CST, and COMSOL.
• Develop rigorous measurement techniques to assess component performance.
• Analyze measurement and simulation data for performance and robustness.
• Collaborate across the team to improve our fabrication processes for optimal device performance.
• Serve as a technical expert within HyperLight to help guide our engineering decisions.

Requirements:

• Either 5 years of relevant work experience or equivalent experience through an advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Strong expertise with passive and/or active photonic device component design, including hands-on development of multiple successful designs.
• Strong expertise in finite element analysis of PIC components using tools like Lumerical, Tidy3D, COMSOL, Synopsys OptoDesigner, etc.
• Extensive hands-on experience performing measurements to characterize photonic integrated circuits using instruments like swept lasers, fiber alignment stages, VNAs, BERTs, oscilloscopes, etc.
• Extensive experience with data analysis and statistical methods such as design of experiments using tools like JMP or Python.
• Demonstrated record of innovation and achievement, e.g. product designs, publications, or patents.
• Familiarity with the entire PIC engineering process, including simulation, layout (using tools like ipkiss, gdsfactory, Cadence, KLayout, etc.), fabrication, test, and device operation.
• Familiarity with Monte Carlo analysis, link budget analysis, inverse design, IMDD, or coherent optical communication systems would be a plus.

Authorization to work in the US is required. This position is onsite at HyperLight HQ.

HyperLight is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.