Analog/Mixed Signal Architect

Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world's first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.

Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!

If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.

Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!

Lightmatter builds chips that enable extreme-scale AI computing clusters. If you're a collaborative engineer or scientist who has a passion for innovation, solving challenging technical problems and doing impactful work like building the world's first optically accelerated computers, consider joining the team at Lightmatter!

We are hiring an Analog and Mixed-Signal (AMS) Architect. The selected candidate will partner with internal engineering teams at Lightmatter to deliver groundbreaking products to the market. In this role, you will contribute to the design and development of innovative analog architecture solutions to deliver high-volume products for our customers. As an architect, you will provide detailed technical documents that describe what needs to be built to the engineering team. You will engage with our cross-disciplinary engineering teams to model and analyze solutions. The role also requires creativity, analytical skills, and clear communication skills. You will represent the company at technical conferences as an example of our technical leadership.

You will report directly to the Sr. Director of Architecture, but you will also work closely with our digital, analog, photonic, and software teams. Join a tight-knit team where each individual's contributions directly influence the success of the company and product. You'll have the opportunity to build a new kind of computer from the ground up and to solve groundbreaking challenges along the way. Work with people who love to build and who thrive in technically diverse environments where great ideas are prioritized.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Propose innovative solutions high-speed (50G and beyond) AMS circuit blocks custom to optical transceivers, such as drivers, TIAs, equalizers, ADC/DACs, PLLs, CDRs.
• Work closely with the analog engineering design team to performance, power, and area estimates of the analog devices within Passage.
• Actively collaborate with the photonics engineering team to provide a high-bandwidth photonic interconnect solution.
• Author, review, and validate architectural specifications.

Qualifications: 

• PhD in electrical engineering, physics, applied physics, or a discipline related to analog design.
• Experience in designing and testing optical front-end receivers and transmitters (TIAs, drivers), CTLE, DFE, ADC, DAC, oscillators, etc. in advanced CMOS.
• Power user of simulation tools Cadence Virtuoso, Cadence Spectre, Verilog-A, IBIS-AMI simulators.
• Ability and desire to collaborate in a cross-disciplinary team.
• Excellent written and communication skills.
• Demonstrated strong problem solving skills specifically pertaining to problems that do not have obvious solutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Understanding of signal processing (i.e., equalization, digital signal processing, and coding) and signal integrity in optical communication.
• Experience in silicon photonic devices (Mach-Zehnder and microring modulators, thermally tuned components)
• A culture champion for Lightmatter, aligns with the company's light-hearted culture.
• Willing and able to learn quickly. Self-starter with a "no task is too big or small" attitude.
• Innovative and flexible; realizes that a one-size-fits-all approach will not always solve the problem at hand.
• Data-driven and analytical; translates numbers into actionable strategies.
• Process-oriented and programmatic: builds structure through processes that can be relied upon across the organization.

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

Salary Range: total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance-based equity, and other rewards that recognize your impact and contribution.

$149,000—$216,500 USD

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Savings Matching Program
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Paid Family Leave
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Commuter Benefits
• Flexible, hybrid workplace model
• Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)

Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

Export Control

Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.