Intern, Photonic Device Design

Ayar Labs • San Jose, CA

3d • $50 - $60 • Onsite

About The Position

Ayar Labs is seeking a Photonic Device Design Intern for a May to August 2027 term. The intern will apply knowledge of photonic device physics—including couplers, gratings, and micro-rings—to improve bandwidth density, energy efficiency, and manufacturability for the company’s co-packaged optics platform. The role involves taking designs from simulation to silicon on a leading-edge process and using hardware results to refine models and improve devices for subsequent submissions. The position is on-site at the San Jose office. Ayar Labs does not provide immigration support except for F-1 status, or relocation support.

Requirements

• Actively pursuing a Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering or another engineering discipline with a photonics specialization.
• Solid understanding of photonic device physics, including waveguides, couplers, gratings, and micro-ring resonators.
• Experience with simulation tools for passive optical devices, such as FDTD or mode solvers.
• Python skills and experience writing structured code in a team environment.
• Ability to connect simulation to measurement and design, characterize, and iterate on device performance.
• Familiarity with optical transceiver principles and co-packaged optics architectures.
• Demonstrated use of AI tools to achieve meaningful productivity gains in design or analysis workflows, such as device optimization or AI-assisted code development.

Responsibilities

• Use photonic device physics to advance bandwidth density, energy efficiency, and manufacturability of the co-packaged optics platform.
• Take device designs from simulation to silicon on a leading-edge process.
• Use hardware results to refine models and improve devices for the next submission.
• Design, characterize, and iterate on device performance by connecting simulation results to measurements.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern