# Principal Photonics IC Design Engineer

**Company**: NVIDIA
**Location**: Santa Clara, CA
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Category**: Engineering
**Industry**: Technology

**Apply**: https://nvidia.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/NVIDIAExternalCareerSite/job/US-CA-Santa-Clara/Principal-Photonics-IC-Design-Engineer_JR2023042?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_72e8e897-9bc

## Description

NVIDIA's Mixed-Signal Design (MSD) Photonics team is building the next generation of co-packaged optical interconnects to power the world's most advanced AI supercomputers. We are looking for a Principal Photonics IC Design Engineer to serve as the technical lead owning our photonics integrated circuit (PIC) product , from architecture definition through production tapeout and silicon validation.

**Responsibilities:**

- Own end-to-end PIC product delivery: architecture, design, layout, DRC/LVS verification, tapeout, and post-silicon validation on advanced silicon photonics platforms

- Lead cross-functional execution across photonic device, analog/mixed-signal, packaging, and systems teams

- Drive tapeout schedules, define design milestones, and resolve critical path issues across multiple concurrent PIC programs

- Architect optical transceiver PICs integrating modulators, photodetectors, wavelength multiplexing, waveguides, and optical couplers for high-speed and/or DWDM applications

- Define and improve PIC design methodology, automation (e.g., scripted DRC, parameterized cells), and verification flows in Cadence and related EDA tools

- Mentor and technically guide a team of photonics designers; set technical direction for the photonics PIC roadmap

**Requirements:**

- PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, or a closely related field with emphasis on integrated photonics, silicon photonics, or photonic device physics (or equivalent experience)

- 8+ years of industry experience in photonics IC design, with demonstrated progression into technical leadership roles

- Deep hands-on expertise with Cadence design environment (Virtuoso, PCell development, SKILL scripting) for photonic IC layout and simulation

- Proven track record of production tapeouts , you have personally driven PICs from design through GDS signoff on a foundry silicon photonics process

- Strong understanding of photonic device physics: waveguides, passive/active components, ring/MZI modulators, photodetectors, optical couplers

- Demonstrated technical leadership: setting project scope, making architecture tradeoffs, driving cross-team alignment, and delivering on schedule

**Preferred Qualifications:**

- Experience with high-speed (>50 Gbaud) optical modulator or receiver PIC design for datacom/telecom applications

- Experience with DWDM PIC architectures (MUX/DEMUX, multi-channel transceivers, wavelength tuning)

- Familiarity with co-packaged optics (CPO) system requirements and advance packaging integration

- Experience with photonic circuit simulation and CAD tools (Ansys Lumerical, ZeMax, Cadence, MATLAB, Python and Verilog-A) and electromagnetic solvers (FDTD, FDE, EME)

- Track record of publications and/or patents in silicon photonics

## Skills

### Required
- Cadence design environment
- photonics IC design
- silicon photonics
- photonic device physics
- technical leadership

### Nice to have
- high-speed optical modulator design
- DWDM PIC architectures
- co-packaged optics
- photonic circuit simulation
- electromagnetic solvers

---

Source: [Apply at nvidia.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com](https://nvidia.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/NVIDIAExternalCareerSite/job/US-CA-Santa-Clara/Principal-Photonics-IC-Design-Engineer_JR2023042?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)