Senior Laser Design & Simulation Engineer
About The Position
Kyocera SLD Laser (KSLD) is a global leader in the commercialization of gallium nitride (GaN) based laser light sources. As a wholly owned subsidiary of KYOCERA Corporation, KSLD combines advanced laser innovation with the strength, scale, and manufacturing excellence of a global technology leader. KSLD develops and manufactures high performance LaserLight™ solutions engineered to deliver exceptional brightness, efficiency, and reliability. Our GaN laser technologies enable a wide range of applications, including automotive and mobility, specialty and portable lighting, projection and AR/VR displays, biomedical instrumentation, industrial imaging, and emerging communication technologies such as LiFi. With vertically integrated capabilities and deep technical expertise, KSLD collaborates closely with customers to deliver application specific laser solutions, accelerating development timelines from concept through production. The company operates advanced R&D and manufacturing facilities in Santa Barbara, CA and Fremont, CA, supporting both innovation and high volume manufacturing needs. KSLD is ISO 14001 & 45001 certified compliant for automotive applications, and its products meet rigorous UL and IEC safety standards, reflecting a strong commitment to quality, safety, and reliability. Recognized by Fortune magazine’s Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production™, KSLD fosters an employee centric culture built on collaboration, technical excellence, and continuous innovation. Guided by a mission to engineer the future of light, KSLD develops laser based solutions that power next generation mobility, consumer, specialty lighting, and industrial technologies. KSLD will continue to pioneer the future of light by developing, manufacturing and marketing innovative laser based products with high efficiency and luminance for mobility, specialty lighting, consumer, and industrial applications.
Requirements
- MS min 3yrs experience, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or 5-10+yrs in related field.
- Experience must be in semiconductor lasers, photonics, optoelectronic devices, or related technology development.
- Strong understanding of semiconductor laser fundamentals, including optical gain, waveguides, optical confinement, threshold behavior, efficiency mechanisms, and cavity concepts.
- Experience with semiconductor laser simulation, optical modeling, or device physics analysis, with demonstrated ability to correlate simulation results with experimental data.
- Hand-on experience with laser or photonic device characterization and data analysis, such as LIV, spectral, gain, waveguide loss, beam, or thermal measurements.
- Proficiency with simulation tools such as Photon Design modules, COMSOL, Lumerical, or equivalent, and data analysis software such as Mini Tab, JMP, MATLAB, or Python.
- Experience with DOE, SPC, and structured problem-solving methodologies (Six Sigma familiarity a plus).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills—able to clearly summarize complex technical results for cross-functional audiences.
- Highly self-motivated, organized, and capable of managing multiple technical workstreams independently.
- Experience with semiconductor laser devices (III-V) is required.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with GaN based optoelectronic devices.
- Experience with DFB or DBR laser structures.
- Familiarity with epitaxial growth and semiconductor device processing.
- Knowledge of laser reliability and failure analysis techniques.
- Experience with DOE, statistical analysis, SPC, or Six Sigma methodologies.
- Experience with GaN based laser or LED technologies is desired but not required.
Responsibilities
- Support the design and optimization of semiconductor laser structures, including MQW active regions, waveguides, DFB/DBR cavities, and optical confinement schemes.
- Develop and execute physics based semiconductor laser simulations, including epitaxial heterostructure, band structure, waveguide, and optical modeling, to guide device design, performance tradeoffs, and risk reduction.
- Perform sensitivity and margin analyses for threshold current, slope efficiency, wall plug efficiency, wavelength stability, SMSR, linewidth, polarization, beam quality, and thermal performance.
- Correlate simulation predictions with experimental data and calibrate models accordingly.
- Contribute to defining epitaxial structure requirements based on device performance objectives, including layer thickness, composition, doping, and confinement design.
- Collaborate closely with the epitaxy team to define growth strategies that balance performance, yield, reliability, and manufacturability.
- Plan and execute data driven design of experiments (DOE) to accelerate convergence from concept to robust device designs.
- Participate directly in laser diode characterization activities, including LIV measurements, spectral analysis, wavelength characterization, beam measurements, and reliability assessments.
- Collaborate with test engineering to develop or refine test setups, automation, and measurement methodologies.
- Analyze experimental data and support diagnosis of performance or reliability limitations through physics based root cause analysis.
- Apply structured problem solving, statistical techniques, and continuous improvement methods.
- Contribute to innovative laser device concepts and technology development activities.
- Support patent disclosures, technical reports, and presentations as appropriate.
- Collaborate effectively with cross functional engineering teams and clearly communicate technical findings.
Benefits
- Equal opportunity employer
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
