Electro-optical Signal Integrity, Principal Engineer

Job Title

Electro-optical Signal Integrity, Principal Engineer

Role Summary

Lead the electro-optical signal-integrity architecture and validation for silicon-photonics optical engines used in data center and AI systems. Work at the interface of photonics, high-speed electronics, and packaging to optimize link performance and system integration.

Position is embedded in a cross-functional engineering team based in Adliswil (Zurich area), providing technical leadership on design, simulation, characterization, and qualification of integrated electro-optical systems.

Experience Level

Senior-level engineer; the posting requests 5+ years of industry experience.

Responsibilities

Lead design, simulation, testing, and cross-domain integration to ensure signal integrity for high-speed optical engines. Key responsibilities include:

• Define and simulate high-frequency electrical interfaces (e.g., 400G/lane CPO and beyond).
• Set signal-integrity strategy across electrical and electro-optical interfaces, influencing architecture, packaging, and system definitions.
• Drive co-design between photonics, analog/ASIC, and packaging teams to optimize performance and power efficiency.
• Plan and execute testing, characterization, and qualification of components and integrated systems.
• Develop and validate end-to-end link budgets; correlate simulation and measurement across electrical and optical domains.
• Analyze measurement data to identify performance limitations and drive design improvements.
• Lead root-cause analysis of complex signal-integrity issues across electrical and optical domains.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; preferences indicated where relevant.

• 5+ years industry experience in a high-tech engineering environment.
• Strong understanding of RF/microwave engineering, signal integrity, high-frequency circuit theory, interconnects, silicon photonics, and semiconductor packaging.
• Strong background in optical communications (coherent and/or IM/DD) or high-frequency electrical/electro-optical characterization (>110 GHz).
• Hands-on experience in electro-optical device testing (modulators, photodetectors, lasers); high-speed testing preferred.
• Experience with high-frequency characterization instruments and techniques (VNA, AWG, PPG, oscilloscope, DCA, BERT).
• Proficiency with lab automation and data analysis (Python or MATLAB).
• Experience with high-speed link modeling, channel budgets, and equalization techniques (FFE, DFE, CTLE) and metrics (BER, SNR, OMA, TDECQ).
• Experience interfacing with high-speed SerDes (≥200G PAM4, ideally 400G PAM4) and familiarity with IEEE 802.3 and OIF CEI standards.
• Experience in 3D EM modeling and simulation (e.g., HFSS), high-frequency circuit simulation (e.g., ADS), and/or RF PCB design.
• Experience with advanced packaging and/or 2.5D/3D integration in optical platforms.
• Strong ownership, ability to operate autonomously, collaborate across teams, and communicate complex topics clearly.
• May require eligibility to access export-controlled technology; candidates may be subject to an export license review.

Education Requirements

Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, or a related field.

About the Company

Company: Marvell Technology

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States

Marvell’s semiconductor solutions serve as essential building blocks of the data infrastructure connecting our world, driving innovation across enterprise, cloud, AI, and carrier architectures. The company focuses on creating transformative technology that shapes the future.