Senior Hardware Engineer

Luna Innovations • Chino, CA

6d • $125,000 - $175,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Luna Innovations is seeking a highly skilled Hardware Engineer with 5+ years of experience to join the electrical and hardware design team for their photonics instrumentation. This role involves designing complex analog and digital circuitry for precision optical components and high-speed signal processing. The engineer will work at the intersection of electronics and optics, designing boards for precision devices, amplifying low-level current signals, and developing high-precision/speed digital processing systems.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in electrical/hardware engineering, specifically with mixed-signal board-level design for scientific instruments, test equipment, or optoelectronics.
• Deep understanding of low-level analog design, including ultra-low noise TIA, low-noise high-speed front end for high-speed ADC, and high-voltage drive circuits design for physical actuators.
• Experience integrating MCU/ARM/DSP, FPGAs, and high-speed memory interfaces.
• Deep understanding of communication protocols and hardware interfaces (e.g., SPI, I2C, UART, TCP/IP, USB, GPIB).
• Advanced proficiency in schematic capture and PCB layout software (Altium Designer preferred), with a strong grasp of layout best practices for mixed-signal multi-layer boards.
• Exceptional debugging skills using oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, logic analyzers, and function generators. Comfortable with a soldering iron as well as simulation tools.

Nice To Haves

• Background in optics, photonics, or silicon photonics, with an understanding of how electrical noise impacts optical measurements.
• Experience with up-to-date hybrid FPGA system (PS/PL) firmware development (Whole Tool Chain) for high-speed real-time data processing.
• Experience with Linux driver for hardware.
• Familiarity with designing for manufacturability (DFM) and designing for test (DFT) to smoothly transition prototypes into volume manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Architect, simulate, and design both analog and digital circuits, including low-noise Transimpedance Amplifiers (TIAs) for optical receivers, high-voltage/high-current drivers for piezoelectric actuators, and high-speed ADCs/DACs.
• Work on schematic design and PCB layout tool, focusing on signal integrity, noise reduction, and thermal management in tightly packed instrument chassis.
• Work closely with optical engineers to interface electronics with optical components such as laser diodes, optical modulators, photo detectors, and polarization controllers.
• Identify and source microcontrollers, FPGAs, power supplies, and precision analog components that meet strict performance, cost, and supply chain requirements.
• Bring up new boards in the lab. Perform rigorous testing for signal integrity, timing margins, and EMC/EMI compliance to ensure robust performance in industrial and laboratory environments.
• Partner with the Software/Firmware team to define hardware-software interfaces, ensuring seamless control and data acquisition logic.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed