Photonics Architect (Boston and Mountain View)

Photonics Architect​​

Lightmatter builds chips that enable extreme-scale artificial intelligence 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 a Photonics Architect. The selected candidate will partner with external facing teams at Lightmatter and internal engineering teams to deliver groundbreaking products to the market. In this role, you will design and develop innovative photonics architecture solutions to deliver high-volume products for our customers. You will engage with our cross-disciplinary engineering teams to model and analyze solutions.  You may also test and measure prototypes to validate the models. This role requires a deep understanding of silicon photonics process technologies, state-of-the-art photonics designs, high-speed (40+ GHz) electro-optic interfaces, lasers, and 3D integration. The role also requires creativity, analytical skills, and clear communication skills. You may represent the company externally at technical conferences as an example of our technical leadership.

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.

Responsibilities

• Creative problem-solving and contributing to high-performance photonic architecture solutions for high-volume products.
• Develop, simulate, and validate control and initialization algorithms for photonic circuits.
• Multiphysics considerations and simulations of photonic circuits.
• Validate the models by designing experiments, conducting proof-of-concept experiments, and analyzing data.
• Actively collaborate across disciplines—with electronics, photonics, and mechanical engineers —to design systems, algorithms, circuits, and devices that meet performance, power, and production requirements.
• Document and present your contributions. 

This is not a complete listing of the responsibilities. It’s a representation of the things you will be doing. 

Requirements

• A Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics or similar discipline with at least 3 years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with at least 6 years of relevant experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in modeling silicon photonic circuits.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in controlling silicon photonic circuits.
• Deep understanding of photonics, optical nonlinearities, semiconductors, thermal physics, transmission lines.
• Strong proficiency in photonic circuit simulations, using industry-standard tools such as VPI Systems, Lumerical Interconnect, or equivalent.
• Strong proficiency in coding simulations in Python or Matlab.
• Experience with corner analysis and Monte Carlo analysis.
• Experience collaborating with photonics and electronics teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in product development or projects with industry.
• Experience in optical communications.
• Experience in silicon photonic integrated circuit design and measurements. 
• Experience in design for manufacturing and reliability.
• Experience in microcontrollers and digital control.
• Strong publication record.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness and ability to learn quickly. Self-starter with a “no task is too big or small” attitude.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• 401k matching
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Paid Family Leave
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Flexible, hybrid workplace model
• Stock Option Plan

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role, including all US locations, will be from $170,000 to $245,000, determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

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.