Senior Photonics Design Engineer

Intel•Us, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Silicon Photonics Design Engineer specializing in actives design. In this role you will contribute directly to the design, simulation, optimization, and development of advanced photonic components for next-generation optical communication systems. Your day-to-day work will involve collaborating across engineering disciplines to design and validate photonic integrated circuits (PICs) components such as modulators, detectors, lasers, and passive devices, ensuring they meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability requirements. This role offers a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of photonics technology and drive innovation in data center and AI applications. Intel's Integrated Photonics Solutions (IPS) team is a global leader in silicon photonics integration, pioneering high-performance optical solutions that enable transformative scalability in data center bandwidth and speeds. The team focuses on research, development, and commercialization of advanced photonic technologies that drive Intel's vision of delivering cutting-edge innovations in optical communications and AI-driven systems. Joining IPS means becoming part of an innovative team dedicated to redefining the future of high-volume photonic integration.

Requirements

Bachelor's or BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Science, or a related field, and 6+ years of relevant experience; or Master's degree with 4+ years of relevant experience; or Ph.D. with 2+ years of relevant experience in photonic device design and simulation
Proficiency in optical and RF design and simulation tools such as Lumerical (FDTD, MODE, DEVICE, Interconnect), RSoft, or Tidy3D
Hands-on experience in photonic integrated circuit design, from concept through high-volume manufacturing
Familiarity with photonic test methodologies and equipment, including optical spectrum analyzers, tunable lasers, and optical vector analyzers
Experience managing statistical analysis of photonic test data using tools like JMP or programming languages such as Python or Matlab

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in layout tools such as Cadence or KLayout for component design and PIC tapeouts
Experience with advanced passive or active silicon photonic components such as ring modulators, Mach-Zehnder interferometers, EAM's/EML's
Knowledge of system-level link modeling, Monte Carlo analysis, and optical coupling solutions
Familiarity with inverse design methodologies and circuit-level simulations
Understanding of advanced electronic ICs and integration with photonic systems, including drivers, TIAs, DSPs, and modulators

Responsibilities

Design, simulate, and optimize photonic components such as modulators, passive devices, lasers, and detectors for PICs
Conduct tolerance analysis to ensure components maintain reliability and performance under various operating conditions
Lead test chip development, including design, layout, tapeout, testing, and validation processes
Analyze characterization data, identify performance gaps, and develop strategies for optimization and improvement
Develop and refine modeling methodologies for photonic components and propose innovative test approaches
Research emerging photonics technologies to define next-generation architectures and drive intellectual property development
Collaborate with cross-disciplinary engineering teams to align component designs with system-level requirements