Photonics Circuit Designer (f/m/d)

The Role

We are seeking a skilled Photonics Circuit Designer at Black Semiconductor to own the schematic, layout, and physical implementation of our photonic integrated circuits. You will translate photonic device concepts and architecture requirements into PDK-compliant, tape-out-ready PIC blocks and full chip assemblies.

Working closely with the Photonics Architect, device and simulation teams, EIC designers, and packaging engineers, you will drive circuit-level implementation from validated concepts through layout, verification, and foundry submission. Your work will ensure alignment between circuit design, simulation models, manufacturing requirements, and physical implementation.

This role bridges photonic circuit design, IC implementation, and semiconductor manufacturing.

To join our team, you should be excited to

• Own PIC schematic capture and physical layout implementation, including photonic components, links, and full chip assemblies using industry-standard photonic IC design flows.
• Define PIC floor plans, waveguide routing, and PIC/EIC interconnect structures, balancing optical performance, electrical integration, and packaging constraints.
• Develop and maintain PDK-based design workflows, including pcells, compact/behavioral models, and design rules to ensure consistency between layouts, netlists, and simulation models.
• Drive verification and tape-out readiness, including DRC/LVS execution, extraction debugging, verification closure, and coordination with foundry partners.
• Automate and improve design workflows through scripting, regression testing, layout checks, and data analysis.
• Document implementation decisions and communicate design trade-offs across architecture, simulation, EIC, packaging, and product teams.

Your Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, or a related technical field, with strong fundamentals in optics, electromagnetics, and semiconductor device physics.
• 5+ years of experience in PIC schematic capture and mask layout, including code-based or GUI-based design using Cadence Virtuoso, Synopsys photonic design flows, or equivalent tools.
• Experience implementing photonic IC designs using foundry PDKs, including layout constraints, process rules, and manufacturability considerations.
• Strong DRC/LVS experience, including verification debugging and closure.
• Practical understanding of photonic device behavior, including waveguides, coupling, loss budgets, and layout trade-offs.
• Experience taking photonic designs through tape-out and foundry submission.
• Strong Python scripting skills for layout automation, regression flows, verification workflows, and data analysis.
• Ability to collaborate across photonics, EIC, packaging, simulation, and product teams to resolve design trade-offs.
• Experience with PIC design and verification workflows, including Cadence Virtuoso or Synopsys photonic flows, Ansys Lumerical (FDTD, MODE, CHARGE/HEAT, INTERCONNECT), foundry PDKs, DRC/LVS toolchains, Python-based automation (NumPy, SciPy, pandas), Git, and standard IC design workflows.
• Experience with PIC/EIC co-design, 2.5D/3D packaging floor planning, or advanced package integration will be considered a plus.
• Experience with Verilog-A or compact model development for photonic devices will be considered a plus.
• Experience in semiconductor product development, including reliability, qualification, and production requirements will be considered a plus.