Photonic Design Automation Engineer

Job Title

Photonic Design Automation Engineer

Role Summary

Owner for layout-to-netlist and multi-physics integration flows for a silicon photonics platform. The role sits at the intersection of photonic circuit design, CAD infrastructure, and electromagnetic (EM) modeling.

Primary mission is to ensure schematic, layout, and extracted models remain consistent, automatable, and simulation-ready to support reliable photonic IC tape-outs.

Experience Level

Mid-level — typically requiring 6+ years of relevant experience in photonic IC design, CAD/EDA, or custom IC flow automation.

Responsibilities

Deliver and maintain automated netlist, extraction, verification, and simulation workflows for photonic integrated circuits.

• Define and maintain the photonic netlist methodology and related conventions.
• Develop and maintain photonic and electronic LVS (layout vs schematic) flows.
• Generate simulation-ready netlists for circuit and system-level tools.
• Integrate layout tools, EM solvers, and circuit simulators via CI/CD automation pipelines.
• Ensure accurate extraction of parasitics (optical, electrical, thermal) and consistent model libraries.
• Develop Python automation for extraction, model generation, and regression testing.
• Improve reproducibility of design-to-simulation workflows and collaborate with PDK engineers.
• Interface with design, verification, and systems teams to deliver PIC netlist artifacts that fit into broader system designs.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; list of valuable extras below.

• Must-have: 6+ years in photonic IC design, analog/mixed-signal CAD/EDA, or custom IC flow automation.
• Must-have: Strong Python scripting and automation experience.
• Must-have: Experience with layout tools (e.g., KLayout, Cadence Virtuoso) and with LVS and netlist generation.
• Must-have: Experience using EM solvers (examples: Lumerical FDTD/MODE, HFSS, CST, Tidy3D) and circuit simulators (SPICE, INTERCONNECT, Caphe, PhotonForge).
• Must-have: Experience building CI/CD or automation pipelines connecting layout tools, EM solvers, and simulators.
• Must-have: Strong communication skills and ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Nice-to-have: Prior experience with PDK/model library maintenance, experience in quantum computing or photonic IC tape-out projects, and leadership of cross-functional technical efforts.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or advanced degrees in Computer Science or related engineering fields; MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field are listed in the posting.

About the Company

Company: PsiQuantum

Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA, United States

PsiQuantum develops silicon-photonic quantum computers aimed at building million-qubit, fault-tolerant systems. Founded in 2016, the company combines semiconductor manufacturing processes, photonic hardware, and quantum software to scale quantum systems for commercial and government applications.