Silicon Photonics Design Engineer

Job Title

Silicon Photonics Design Engineer

Role Summary

Member of Kilby Labs designing silicon photonics solutions and developing methodologies, tools, and automation flows for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) targeting advanced datacom applications. Works with systems, packaging, validation, and test teams to prototype, develop, and scale products.

Focus includes design and layout of transmit and receive PICs, electromagnetic simulation, and enabling manufacturing-ready layouts and test methods.

Experience Level

Mid-level. The posting does not specify years of experience; advanced technical expertise with PIC design is expected.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include design, simulation, layout, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver PIC-based datacom solutions.

• Design passive and active PIC components (waveguide circuits, modulators, Ge waveguide detectors) for high-performance (>200 Gb/s per lane) datacom, optimizing power and area.
• Translate system specifications into circuit-level requirements and designs.
• Collaborate with layout teams to produce DRC-clean layouts targeting high yield.
• Architect and simulate advanced packaging solutions for high-bandwidth, high-density datacom interfaces.
• Drive test methodology and work with characterization and product engineering to support validation and production ramp.
• Define process requirements with technology development teams for new silicon photonics platforms.
• Participate in R&D, develop IP, and present technical results to stakeholders.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience.

• Experience with high-speed modulator and detector design and/or passive photonic component and PIC design.
• Strong understanding of PIC circuit design and layout; experience contributing to or leading PIC tapeouts.
• Experience with electromagnetic and photonic simulators such as HFSS, Lumerical, Tidy3D, PhotonDesign, Optiwave, or COMSOL.
• Proficiency with IC design tools (Cadence Virtuoso, Maestro, LayoutXL) and photonic design enablement tools (Synopsys, Luceda, GDSFactory).
• Effective verbal and written communication; ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams.

Preferred / nice-to-have.

• Experience with Electronic-Photonic Design Automation (EPDA) flows and co-simulation of photonic circuits with CMOS drivers/TIAs.
• Experience using scripted layout frameworks to automate complex photonic routing.
• Experience with package and board design tools such as Synopsys Altium and Cadence Allegro.
• Hands-on experience with silicon photonics volume test and wafer-level test automation.
• Familiarity with next-gen silicon photonics approaches (beyond 200 Gb/s per lane) and related optical networking applications (pluggable modules, co-packaged optics).

Education Requirements

Minimum: Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, Photonics, Optical Communications, or a related technical field. The job info also indicates a doctorate degree level.

About the Company

Company: Texas Instruments

Headquarters: Dallas, Texas, USA

Texas Instruments is a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures, and sells analog and embedded processing chips for various markets including industrial, automotive, and personal electronics. The company's innovations aim to make electronics more affordable and reliable, fostering advancements in technology through each generation of semiconductors.