Staff / Sr Staff Laser Module & Systems Characterization Engineer

Job Title

Staff / Sr Staff Laser Module & Systems Characterization Engineer

Role Summary

Hands-on technical owner for bring-up, characterization, and validation of laser modules and photonic systems, taking products from first-light through manufacturing qualification and production hand-off.

Work closely with controls, photonics, and production teams to translate module performance specifications into reproducible, manufacturable results in a hybrid role based in Mountain View, CA.

Experience Level

Senior. Typical experience guidance from the posting: BS + 8 years, MS + 6 years, or PhD + 3 years in relevant technical fields.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include ownership of bring-up, characterization campaigns, test plans, and data reporting for laser modules and photonic links.

• Lead optical performance optimization and initial bring-up for Guide™ laser modules; define and execute sequences from unpowered to full operating condition.
• Create and deliver bringup-to-eVT hand-off packages: measurement summaries, pass/fail criteria, and known-good reference data.
• Plan and run characterization campaigns for Guide and Passage optical links: end-to-end validation, channel optimization, and margin verification; identify and resolve link-level anomalies.
• Develop structured manufacturing and characterization test plans, measurement protocols, calibration sequences, and acceptance criteria aligned with photonics-control specs.
• Write and maintain Python or MATLAB automation for optical, electrical, and thermal test sequences; build data pipelines to surface yield signatures and process trends.
• Author clear characterization reports documenting methodology, results, and recommendations; present findings to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Partner on laser-safety interlock validation, controller characterization flows, NPI transitions, and manufacturing scale-up with production teams.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and practical laboratory experience necessary to perform the role; preferred items listed separately.

• Hands-on experience characterizing laser modules (DFB lasers, optical amplifiers, other coherent sources) in research or NPI environments.
• Proficiency with core photonics lab equipment: optical spectrum analyzers (OSA), optical power meters, lightwave component analyzers (LCA), high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, and signal generators.
• Experience designing and executing structured test plans for optical or electro-optic assemblies, from test design through data delivery.
• Proficiency with Python or MATLAB for measurement automation and statistical data analysis; experience building data pipelines.
• Ability to produce thorough, well-organized characterization reports and communicate technical results to stakeholders.
• Familiarity with statistical process control (SPC), gauge R&R, or JMP for production yield analysis.
• Experience collaborating with controls and production teams to ensure test data supports algorithm validation and production deployment.
• Capacity to comply with U.S. export control laws and related restrictions.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with DWDM optical link bring-up, high-speed optical link characterization, or multi-channel photonic integration platforms.
• Experience with laser module NPI, EVT, or manufacturing bring-up workflows and hand-off packages to production.
• Background in TEC/thermal control loops, laser safety interlock systems, or photonics control-style calibration flows.
• Exposure to silicon photonics–III-V heterogeneous integration (bonded DFB sources, SOA, or hybrid photonic packages).

Education Requirements

Required: one of the following combinations as stated in the posting — BS plus 8 years, MS plus 6 years, or PhD plus 3 years in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, Photonics, or a closely related field.

About the Company

Company: Lightmatter

Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Lightmatter develops photonic AI data-center infrastructure and optical chips for extreme-scale AI and HPC. The company invented the Passage 3D‑stacked photonics engine to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency interconnects across large-scale processors and raised $400M in Series D financing at a reported $4.4B valuation.