Electro-Optic Link Hardware Engineer

Job Title

Electro-Optic Link Hardware Engineer

Role Summary

Hands-on photonics engineer leading verification and characterization of high-speed electro-optic links across silicon and system programs. Work directly at the bench and with cross-functional teams to develop measurement methodology, validate link performance, and resolve complex signal-integrity issues.

Serve as the escalation point for difficult link-performance problems and influence chip/package/system architecture based on empirical findings.

Experience Level

Senior level — experience expectations are 8+ to 10+ years depending on degree (see Education Requirements).

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include:

• Perform hands-on lab characterization and debug of high-speed electrical/optical hardware, including novel failure modes.
• Build system-level electrical/optical/EO channel models and correlate them with bench measurements.
• Own link budget and verification methodology and validate via measurements.
• Characterize eye diagrams, BER, jitter, equalization, and channel impairments.
• Support silicon bring-up and root-cause debug with analog, package, PCB, and SerDes teams.
• Influence chip, package, and system architecture tradeoffs based on bench findings.
• Mentor senior and staff engineers while remaining hands-on in the lab.
• Develop automation and tools to accelerate characterization work.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience:

• Proven ownership of verification strategy for a full silicon or system program.
• Deep expertise in 56G/112G/224G+ serial links, SerDes equalization (CTLE/FFE/DFE), and signal integrity (S-parameters, crosstalk, link budgets).
• Hands-on lab experience leading investigations that stalled others.
• Strong scripting/programming skills for test automation (Python, MATLAB).
• Proficiency with VNA, oscilloscopes, BERTs, TDRs, and tools such as ADS, HFSS, Cadence, COMSOL.
• Track record mentoring engineers and leading cross-functional debug.
• Ability to comply with U.S. export control laws.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience in silicon photonics or EO systems at the architecture level.
• Package/PCB/channel co-design ownership and COM/IBIS-AMI modeling experience.
• Contributions to patents or industry standards (OIF, IEEE 802.3).

Education Requirements

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, or Physics (with approximately 8+ years of relevant experience), or BS/MS with approximately 10+ years of relevant experience. No specific certifications were listed in the posting.

About the Company

Company: Lightmatter

Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Lightmatter develops photonic AI data-center infrastructure and optical chips for extreme-scale AI and HPC. The company invented the Passage 3D‑stacked photonics engine to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency interconnects across large-scale processors and raised $400M in Series D financing at a reported $4.4B valuation.