ABOUT THE ROLE
As the Director of Photonics, you will be responsible for leading all engagements with our foundry partners to develop and establish commercial Photonics Process Design Kits (PDKs). You will also manage and mentor a high-performing team of photonics engineers, driving component and process design for next-generation products. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who thrives in a highly collaborative and dynamic work environment.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Own and drive major programs focused on the development and continuous improvement of Photonics Process Design Kits (PDKs) for next-generation photonic technologies.
- Lead a team of designers in new PDK development at commercial foundries, contributing to process & device specifications and design, integrating the PDK into standard chip-design environments and identifying wafer acceptance criteria.
- Lead engagements with foundries and fabrication partners to optimize process integration, ensuring scalability and manufacturability of photonic devices.
- Work in conjunction with broader Photonics and cross-functional teams to ensure that PDK design goals are met at both the device and system level.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Minimum MS in Electrical Engineering or Physics. PhD is preferred.
- Minimum 10 years of relevant experience
- Strong experience with developing and/or deploying Silicon Photonics PDKs at commercial foundries, including a deep understanding of both design and process impacts on device performance.
- Strong experience in managing a team of designers to develop and characterize Silicon Photonics library elements.
- Strong experience with simulation of Silicon Photonics components using standard tools (Lumerical, Photon Design, RSoft, VPI or similar).
- Strong experience with physical design/layout tools and environments (Cadence, Mentor or similar)
- Experience with data analysis tools (JMP, DataConductor or similar)
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, as well as creativity in problem-solving with strong attention to detail
LOCATION: Santa Clara, CA
For California Location:
As an early stage start up, we offer an extremely attractive total compensation package inclusive of competitive base salary, bonus and a generous grant of our valuable early-stage equity. The target base salary for this role is approximately $220,000.00 - $250,000.00. The base salary offered may be slightly higher or lower than the target base salary, based on the final scope as determined by the depth of the experience and skills demonstrated by candidate in the interviews.
