Silicon Photonics Design Engineer (RFIC Engineering)
About The Position
SpaceX is seeking a motivated, proactive, and intellectually curious photonics design engineer to develop next-generation photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for deployment in space and ground infrastructure. The role works alongside cross-disciplinary systems, firmware, architecture, design, validation, and product engineering teams to develop solutions that expand the performance and capabilities of the Starlink network. The engineer will design and characterize optical and electrical building blocks for high-speed optical links, derive specifications for photonics IC systems and circuits, and contribute to PIC floor planning, layout, packaging interfaces, automated lab testing, and production qualification. The work includes silicon photonics and InGaAs/InP integrated platforms and coordination with system architects, DSP, electro-optics, ASIC, and manufacturing engineers.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science.
- At least 2 years of photonics or electro-optical integrated circuit design experience.
- Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones.
- Must meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree or PhD in electrical engineering, computer engineering with an emphasis on electro-optics IC design, or applied physics.
- Experience using electrical simulation tools such as Spectre and ADS.
- Knowledge of advanced packaging for a co-packaged optics (CPO) solution.
- Electrical circuit design skills and experience analyzing and simulating linear and nonlinear circuits, such as high-bandwidth modulator drivers, TIAs, CTLEs, filters, low-noise amplifiers, and power amplifiers.
- Experience with wideband circuit designs supporting high-speed SerDes links with data rates above 100 Gbps and bandwidth exceeding tens of GHz.
- Familiarity with high-speed SerDes architecture, modulation schemes such as NRZ and PAM4, and link protocols.
- Familiarity with optical and radio test equipment such as spectrum analyzers, vector signal analyzers, vector signal generators, high-speed oscilloscopes, and BERTs.
- Experience characterizing EIC/PIC performance for high-speed optical SerDes.
Responsibilities
- Design, analyze, and simulate optical building blocks, including MZM and microring modulators, germanium photodiodes, dWDM filters, waveguides, couplers, dividers, and polarization-management circuitry across integrated platforms such as silicon photonics and InGaAs/InP.
- Derive specifications for photonics IC systems and circuits.
- Design and model package optical interfaces, including edge couplers and grating couplers.
- Apply familiarity with RF, analog, and mixed-signal circuits.
- Work with system architects, DSP, electro-optics, and ASIC engineers to partition functions between hardware and software domains.
- Perform IC floor planning and layout.
- Evaluate, characterize, and measure electrical and optical building blocks of a high-speed optical link solution.
- Assist in developing automated test lab equipment for laboratory measurements.
- Work with manufacturing engineers on production testing and qualification of PIC circuits and systems.
- Use simulation tools such as Lumerical, COMSOL, and HFSS.
Benefits
- Potential eligibility for long-term incentives in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards.
- Potential discretionary bonuses.
- Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
- Comprehensive medical coverage.
- Vision coverage.
- Dental coverage.
- 401(k) retirement plan.
- Short- and long-term disability insurance.
- Life insurance.
- Paid parental leave.
- Various other discounts and perks.
- May accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation.
- Eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year.
- Paid sick leave pursuant to company policy.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
