Scientist (Photonics), IME

Long Description

Scientist / Senior Scientist - Silicon Photonics Passive Device Design & PDK Development

As part of IME’s Silicon Photonics Department, the successful candidate will lead the design, development, and enablement of passive photonic technologies and Process Design Kits (PDKs) for next-generation photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The role focuses on Silicon (Si), Silicon Nitride (SiN), and Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) platforms for AI, datacom, telecom, sensing, and photonic computing applications. The candidate will work closely with multidisciplinary teams spanning photonic design, process integration, testing, and wafer fabrication to develop scalable foundry-ready technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and optimize passive photonic devices, including waveguides, couplers, splitters, AWGs, MMIs, ring resonators, and polarization management components.
• Develop passive device libraries and design building blocks for Si, SiN, and TFLN platforms.
• Perform photonic simulation, modeling, and design verification using industry-standard tools.
• Develop compact models, PCells, design rules, and documentation for PDK releases.
• Work closely with fabrication, process integration, and characterization teams to correlate device performance with process variations.
• Drive Design of Experiments (DOE), statistical analysis, yield improvement, and manufacturability optimization.
• Prepare technical reports, patents, publications, and conference presentations.

Requirements

• PhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optoelectronics, Materials Science, or a related discipline.
• Strong background in integrated photonics and passive device design.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:

• • Silicon photonics
  • Silicon nitride photonics
  • Thin-film lithium niobate photonics
  • PDK development and compact modeling

• Hands-on experience with photonic simulation and layout tools such as Lumerical, Synopsys, Cadence, KLayout, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with PIC design flows, DRC/LVS verification, and tape-out methodologies.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills.