Principal Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer

Job Title

Principal Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer

Role Summary

Join the global circuits team focused on CMOS and silicon-photonics high-speed chip interfaces and photonic functions. This principal engineering role leads thermo-mechanical and opto-mechanical design, simulation, and lab validation to ensure reliability and manufacturability of silicon photonics products.

Experience Level

Senior (Principal) - expects extensive experience: the posting specifies ~15+ years in a related field and 8+ years of silicon photonics IC development from concept to high-volume manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include simulation, experimental validation, and cross-functional support for photonic and electronic package reliability and performance.

• Thermal and structural design of silicon photonic components and assemblies.
• Run stress and thermo-mechanical simulations for optical components, fiber alignment, and die-package interactions.
• Develop experimental methodology for thermal validation and laser performance under stress.
• Model solder joint fatigue, creep, hygroscopic stresses, crack propagation, and interfacial delamination.
• Simulate wire-bonding and wire fusing processes and related failure modes.
• Perform thermal characterization of electronic packages and produce thermal specification datasheets aligned with JEDEC standards.
• Recommend design, process, or material changes to mitigate assembly and reliability failures.
• Support optical and system engineering leads on opto-mechanical system design and component specification.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams during product development and high-volume manufacturing ramp.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; nice-to-have items listed separately.

• Must-have: 15+ years of relevant experience in thermo-mechanical or reliability engineering for electronic/photonic products.
• Must-have: 8+ years developing silicon photonics ICs from concept to high-volume manufacturing.
• Must-have: Hands-on experience with silicon photonics products and lab evaluation, debugging, characterization, and bring-up.
• Must-have: Proficiency with Ansys tools and other finite-element simulation packages for thermo-mechanical analysis.
• Must-have: Experience defining system performance, component specifications, and performing thermal characterization per standards.
• Must-have: Demonstrated ability to work and communicate effectively in cross-functional engineering teams.
• Nice-to-have: Background with design tools and fixtures for alignment, fabrication, gluing, and assembly of lasers, interferometers, and optical components.
• Nice-to-have: Experience in applied research on silicon photonic ICs and systems or prior product development of optics/photonic systems.
• Self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision.

Education Requirements

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a similar discipline cited as preferred; the posting allows "or equivalent experience." (Degrees and equivalent practical experience are mentioned in the source.)

About the Company

Company: NVIDIA

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA

NVIDIA is a global leader in accelerated computing, renowned for its innovative solutions in AI and digital twins that transform diverse industries. The company specializes in networking technologies, providing end-to-end InfiniBand and Ethernet solutions for servers and storage that optimize performance and scalability. NVIDIA serves sectors such as high-performance computing, enterprise data centers, and cloud computing, constantly reinventing its products and services to stay ahead in the market.