Senior Optical System Test Engineer
About The Position
We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Optical System Test Engineer to join our hardware engineering team. In this role, you will be responsible for the design, development, and execution of test and validation plans for advanced optical sub-systems, including PICs, linear drivers, linear TIAs, and DSPs, supporting next-generation high-speed optical transceivers and photonic systems. This role is critical in bridging the gap between R&D and productization, ensuring that our optical components and sub-systems meet the highest standards of performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field.
- Minimum of 3 years of hands-on experience in optical system or component-level testing.
- Direct experience in testing and characterizing:
- PICs (e.g., SOI, InP, or SiN platforms)
- Optical driver ICs
- Transimpedance Amplifiers (TIAs)
- Strong familiarity with optical communication principles, including NRZ/PAM4 modulation, dispersion, OSNR, and jitter.
- Proficiency with lab instrumentation, including:
- Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OSA)
- BERT, DCA, high-speed oscilloscopes
- Tunable lasers, power meters, VOA
- Network analyzers and probes for high-speed electrical testing
- Experience with scripting and test automation using Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or similar.
- Understanding of industry standards such as IEEE 802.3, QSFP-DD, OSFP, and CMIS.
- Strong analytical skills and ability to work independently to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues.
- Excellent documentation and communication skills.
Nice To Haves
- Master's or Ph.D. in Optical or Electrical Engineering.
- Experience with:
- Silicon photonics-based PICs
- Coherent optical systems
- DSP-based transceivers
- High-speed transceiver testing at 100G, 400G, 800G, or 1.6T
- Knowledge of DSP tuning (FIR filters, DFE, CTLE) and eye diagram optimization.
- Familiarity with simulation tools such as ADS, HFSS, Lumerical, or COMSOL.
- Experience in component-level reliability testing and qualification protocols.
- Exposure to high-volume production test environments and test data analytics platforms.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute test plans for validating the performance and functionality of:
- Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs)
- High-speed optical drivers
- Transimpedance Amplifiers (TIAs)
- DSPs
- Characterize optical and electrical performance metrics such as insertion loss, extinction ratio, jitter, gain, bandwidth, and SNR.
- Set up and automate optical/electrical test stations using high-speed instrumentation and scripting tools (Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, etc.).
- Work with cross-functional teams (photonic design, analog/RF design, packaging, firmware) to define test requirements and optimize test coverage.
- Conduct stress, reliability, and environmental testing (temperature cycling, aging, vibration) for optical components and assemblies.
- Perform high-speed eye diagram analysis, TDECQ, RIN, and receiver sensitivity testing.
- Develop automation frameworks for regression testing and continuous validation in both lab and production environments.
- Analyze test results and generate detailed reports to support design reviews and product qualification.
- Support failure analysis and root cause investigations during design validation and product ramp-up phases.
- Collaborate with manufacturing teams to transfer test procedures and support volume production test development.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Industry
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
Number of Employees
1,001-5,000 employees
