Principal Photonics Engineer – Laser & III-V Integration

Coherent Corp.•Fremont, CA

4d•$146,000 - $202,063•Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Photonics Engineer will lead development of next-generation integrated laser technologies for advanced optical communication and photonic systems. The role develops laser integration solutions for optical transceivers, co-packaged optics, and future optical interconnects, and designs photonic components and circuits that support laser integration. The engineer will develop approaches to combine III-V gain materials and semiconductor lasers with silicon photonics and other platforms, including hybrid and heterogeneous integration. The position works with III-V device and epitaxy teams, fabrication teams, foundries, packaging teams, and systems engineering. It supports defining device requirements, photonic interfaces, fabrication and integration processes, packaging solutions, characterization, test methodologies, tape-outs, and improvements based on experimental data. Optical and electromagnetic simulations and measurement analysis are used to optimize lasers and integrated photonic devices. The position is hybrid. Occasional off-site meetings or travel and occasional overtime or flexibility in work hours may be required. Regular computer and office-equipment use and interaction with team members and external contacts are part of the job. Employees must follow site EHS procedures and Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards. Depending on location, the role may also be responsible for maintaining applicable quality and environmental management standards, including ISO 9000, 9001, and 14001.

Requirements

PhD or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Photonics, Optics, Materials Science, or a related field.
Five or more years of relevant industry or advanced research experience in semiconductor lasers, integrated photonics, or optoelectronic devices.
Strong knowledge of semiconductor laser physics and laser device operation.
Strong understanding of III-V semiconductor materials and devices, including materials and structures used for lasers and optical amplifiers.
Experience with semiconductor lasers, including DFB lasers, DBR lasers, Fabry-Perot lasers, SOAs, or other integrated laser technologies.
Strong background in integrated photonic device and circuit design.
Experience designing photonic components such as waveguides, couplers, tapers, Bragg gratings, resonators, and filters.
Experience with semiconductor fabrication processes, III-V epitaxy, wafer processing, or photonic foundries.
Experience with optical characterization of semiconductor lasers and photonic devices.
Familiarity with photonic simulation tools such as Lumerical, Tidy3D, RSoft, Photon Design, or equivalent.
Experience with PIC layout, foundry PDKs, and tapeout flows.
Strong understanding of photonic and optoelectronic packaging, including die attach, optical alignment, thermal management, wire bonding, and fiber coupling.
Strong interpersonal, teaming, problem-solving, analytical, and troubleshooting skills across photonics, III-V materials, fabrication, and packaging.
Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
Strong interest in developing technologies for future high-bandwidth optical interconnects and highly integrated optical systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience with III-V and silicon photonics integration.
Understanding of hybrid and heterogeneous integration approaches.
Programming experience in Python or similar languages for simulation automation and data analysis.

Responsibilities

Lead development of next-generation integrated laser technologies for advanced optical communication and photonic systems.
Develop laser integration solutions for optical transceivers, co-packaged optics, and future optical interconnect architectures.
Design and optimize photonic components and circuits for laser integration, including waveguides, couplers, tapers, Bragg gratings, resonators, filters, and wavelength-selective components.
Develop architectures integrating III-V gain materials and semiconductor laser devices with silicon photonics and other photonic platforms.
Explore and develop hybrid and heterogeneous laser integration technologies.
Work with III-V device and epitaxy teams to define laser and gain-chip requirements and optimize device performance.
Design and optimize photonic interfaces between laser chips and PICs, including mode converters, spot-size converters, and optical coupling structures.
Work with fabrication teams and foundries to define device structures, fabrication processes, and process improvements.
Develop and optimize fabrication and integration processes for laser and photonic devices.
Collaborate with advanced packaging teams on laser-to-PIC integration, optical alignment, thermal management, electrical interfaces, and reliability.
Perform optical and electromagnetic simulations using relevant tools.
Support characterization and optimization of lasers and integrated photonic devices, including threshold current, output power, efficiency, spectrum, linewidth, wavelength tuning, and reliability.
Analyze experimental results and measurement data to improve designs, integration approaches, and fabrication processes.
Support PIC and laser tape-outs and work with foundries and fabrication partners throughout development.
Develop test structures and methodologies for evaluating photonic devices, III-V materials, and integrated laser assemblies.
Work with systems engineering teams to ensure laser and photonic subsystem performance meets future system requirements.
Contribute to new laser architectures and photonic integration concepts.
Follow applicable site EHS procedures and Corporate EHS standards.
Depending on location, execute and maintain applicable quality and environmental management standards.