Silicon Photonic IC (PIC) Design Engineer
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Job Description
About the Role
We are seeking a highly skilled Silicon Photonic IC Design Engineer to play a key role in the design and physical layout of advanced Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) that interface directly with custom ASICs built on leading-edge semiconductor process nodes. This position offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of photonics, analog, and digital design — helping to define and deliver next-generation optical and electronic systems.
Key Responsibilities
Contribute to the design and physical layout of complex Silicon Photonic ICs (PICs) that connect directly with advanced ASICs.
Participate in all stages of PIC delivery — from floor planning and block placement to micro-architecture, optical/electrical routing, and back-end verification (DRC/LVS).
Collaborate with analog, digital, and packaging teams to ensure optimal design outcomes that meet requirements for opto-electronic performance, signal integrity (SI), and power integrity (PI).
Work closely with other photonics engineers to refine layout methodologies, improve design automation, and enhance existing software-based verification and layout flows.
Qualifications
Specialized Skills
Strong understanding of photonics fundamentals and core engineering design principles.
Hands-on experience with Silicon Photonics Process Design Kits (PDKs) and best practices for designing and laying out photonic components, subsystems, and complete PICs.
Proficiency with physical design tools such as Cadence, Siemens Mentor, or Klayout, including scripting and automation using SKILL or Python.
Familiarity with layout verification tools (e.g., Calibre, Pegasus) for DRC, ERC, and LVS checks.
Experience with SI and PI-aware electrical routing for mixed-signal and digital designs is a strong advantage.
Education
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with a focus on integrated photonics or optical device design.
Preferred Attributes
Highly self-motivated with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
Creative thinker with strong attention to detail.
Thrives in a collaborative and fast-paced environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
California Pay Range
$185,000 - $225,000 USD
Automate your job search with Sonara.
Submit 10x as many applications with less effort than one manual application.