Lightmatter

Lightmatter

Senior Photonics Circuit Design Engineer

Mountain View, CA · Senior · Full-time

Sponsorship not specified$150k-$200kDetected 6 days ago
PythonValuationCadenceElectrical EngineeringCollaboration

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odds of building a lasting career here

53Sponsors, lottery-bound
Cap-exempt (no lottery)0
Sponsors this role58
Entry-level history0
PERM / green-card track0
Lottery odds (Level IV)94
Fits your clock70

Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~61% per draw at Level IV). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.

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Files H-1B transfers

10 transfer filings in the last year, covering 10 workers. Median labor-condition decision: 28 days. An employer that already files transfers is one that can take over an existing H-1B.

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About the role

  • Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress.
  • The company invented the world's first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
  • Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion.

Responsibilities

  • Construct and maintain high-fidelity compact and behavioral representations for both active and passive silicon photonic elements, covering waveguides, couplers, MZIs, micro-rings, multiplexers, phase control elements, thermal tuners, modulators, detectors, and integrated III-V/SOA components.
  • Partner with device engineers to extract and calibrate parameter sets using optical solvers (FDTD, EME), foundry process design kits, and physical silicon data across various tapeouts to ensure high model correlation.
  • Architect and deliver comprehensive sub-circuit simulations for Guide laser modules, encompassing optical sources, gain media, wavelength control loops, power distribution trees, monitors, and associated analog interfaces (TIAs, converters).
  • Implement integrated sub-circuit models for Passage interconnect blocks, including modulated ring arrays, filter banks, thermal controls, drive circuits, DWDM MUX/DEMUX structures, and receiver front-ends.
  • Validate and iterate sub-circuit behavioral representations based on empirical silicon measurements across production cycles.

Requirements

  • Deep background in silicon photonic physics and analog circuit fundamentals, with proven capability in generating behavioral component models for circuit-level co-simulation.
  • Practical expertise using photonic modeling platforms (Lumerical, RSoft, Tidy3D) and analog IC suites (Cadence Virtuoso/Spectre).
  • Systems architects will build their end-to-end product simulations on your models, so your models must be accurate, correlated to silicon, and ready to plug into larger simulations.

Nice to have

  • Experience with microring modulators and filters, DWDM MUX/DEMUX, and thermal tuning.
  • Laser and III-V photonics: DFB, external-cavity or comb sources, SOAs, wavelength lockers, and heterogeneous integration.
  • Analog front-end experience with TIAs, modulator drivers, and heater drivers or DACs as they interface to photonic devices.
  • Experience with foundry silicon photonics PDKs and process variation data (for example GlobalFoundries, TSMC, Tower, AIM or imec).
  • Lab experience correlating models to measurement: OSA, tunable lasers, OVA/LCA, VNA, and wafer-level testing.
  • Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Photonics, or related discipline plus 2+ years of industry experience (or M.S. with 5+ years).
  • Staff level targeting Ph.D. with 6+ years or M.S. with 10+ years.

Compensation

  • total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance-based equity, and other rewards that recognize your impact and contribution.
  • $150,000 - $200,000 USD

Benefits

  • Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
  • Retirement Savings Matching Program
  • Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
  • Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
  • Paid Family Leave
  • Short Term & Long Term Disability
  • Commuter Benefits
  • Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
  • Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
  • Flexible, hybrid workplace model

Visa & Work Authorization

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This listing is sourced directly from Lightmatter's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.