Sr Engineer, Silicon Validation

Ayar Labs • San Jose, CA

1d

About The Position

Own silicon bringup and validation of optical chiplets. Execute post-silicon bringup and characterization across SerDes, photonic, and mixed-signal blocks, and build test infrastructure and automation to ensure products meet and exceed specifications before customer deployment. The role works across the product development cycle with firmware, analog/mixed-signal, digital, and systems engineering teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• At least 3 years of relevant industry experience.
• Hands-on experience with post-silicon bringup and validation of high-speed SoC or mixed-signal devices.
• Working knowledge of SerDes PHY operation and characterization, including NRZ and/or PAM-4 signaling.
• Proficiency with high-speed characterization lab equipment, including BERTs, oscilloscopes, and signal analyzers.
• Proficiency in Python for test scripting and data analysis.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and ability to work independently in a lab environment.
• Proficiency with version control (Git) and software development environments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with photonic device or electro-optic system characterization and validation.
• Familiarity with optical measurement equipment, such as OSA, optical power meters, and lasers.
• Experience with high-speed serial standards such as Ethernet (100G+), PCIe, and OIF CEI.
• Experience with board-level debug and hardware bringup using JTAG or I2C/SPI interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Perform initial power-on and bringup of new silicon tape-outs, including boot-sequence validation, clock and power domain verification, and initial functionality tests.
• Perform functional and electrical characterization of high-speed SerDes interfaces, photonic control blocks, and mixed-signal blocks; define and execute block-level and chip-level test plans.
• Use lab test equipment to characterize signal integrity, eye diagrams, BER, jitter, and optical performance metrics.
• Develop and maintain Python-based test scripts and automation frameworks for regression and characterization testing.
• Investigate silicon anomalies and failures systematically; collaborate with design and firmware engineers to develop and verify fixes.
• Write test plans, validation reports, and signoff documentation, and communicate findings to cross-functional teams.
• Partner with firmware, analog/mixed-signal, digital, and systems engineering teams across the full product development cycle.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior