Silicon Photonics Control & Calibration Engineer - Optical Circuit Switches (OCS)

Job Title

Silicon Photonics Control & Calibration Engineer - Optical Circuit Switches (OCS)

Role Summary

Join the Systems Team to own control, calibration, and stabilization of Voyant's optical circuit switch photonic devices from characterization through validated firmware. You'll define algorithms, driver requirements, test benches, and final validation in collaboration with photonics, electronics, and firmware engineers.

Experience Level

Mid-level - typically 4+ years of relevant hands-on experience in control, calibration, or characterization of optical, photonic, or other precision physical systems; exceptional candidates with different experience levels may be considered.

Responsibilities

You will lead device characterization, algorithm development, hardware requirements derivation, and validation:

• Characterize control behavior of devices (thermo-optic phase shifters, MZIs, switch elements): drive response, thermal crosstalk, drift, and variation.
• Design calibration routines and closed-loop control algorithms; prototype in Python and validate on test benches and hardware-in-the-loop setups.
• Derive driver electronics requirements (DAC/ADC resolution and noise, bandwidth, channel count, power, inter-channel crosstalk) from device physics and control needs.
• Validate driver hardware against requirements and partner with electronics engineers on tradeoffs.
• Provide clear specifications, reference implementations, and test vectors for firmware handoff; own final validation of firmware behavior against Python references.
• Design, build, and automate test setups to support characterization, calibration, and validation activities.
• Collaborate across photonics design, test, electronics, and firmware teams and produce concise technical reports to drive decisions.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, tools, and working style:

• 4+ years practical experience in control, calibration, or characterization of precision physical systems (optical or similar) preferred.
• Strong fundamentals in control and estimation: feedback design, stability, noise analysis, and system identification from measured data.
• Solid understanding of photonic device physics, particularly phase shifters and interferometric devices.
• Mixed-signal electronics literacy sufficient to write and verify driver specifications and debug at the board level.
• Proficiency in Python for algorithm prototyping, test automation, and data analysis.
• Hands-on experience with lab equipment and automating test setups; experience with hardware-in-the-loop frameworks is a plus.
• Ability to read embedded C/C++ and work with firmware engineers during debugging and validation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for specifying algorithms and requirements.
• Self-starter comfortable defining process where it does not yet exist; must be able to work on-site in the NYC lab.
• Nice-to-have: experience with multi-channel calibration at scale, dither or lock-in stabilization methods, embedded C/C++, FPGA, or real-time systems.

Education Requirements

MS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optics, or a related field preferred; BS with equivalent practical experience acceptable. PhD is a plus. Equivalent hands-on experience in relevant technical domains is explicitly accepted.

About the Company

Company: Voyant Photonics

Headquarters: New York, NY, USA

New York City–based company developing compact silicon photonic LiDAR sensors that measure range, velocity, and reflectivity with high accuracy. Uses fingertip-scale silicon photonic chips to produce affordable, high-performance sensors for robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial automation, and other sensing applications.