PhD in physics, photonics, electrical engineering, or related field with 6+ years of experience, or Master's with 8+ years, including 4 years in III-V optical amplifiers or semiconductor lasers.
Proven experience in taking III-V devices from concept to qualification.
In-depth knowledge of semiconductor laser and amplifier physics, including gain dynamics and thermal effects.
Hands-on experience with III-V epitaxy and fabrication processes, particularly with external foundries.
Familiarity with characterizing amplifiers or lasers, including various testing methods.
Proficient in simulation and layout tools for photonic devices, such as Lumerical and COMSOL.
Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects and mentor engineers.
Responsibilities
Lead design and modeling of III-V active devices, focusing on various engineering aspects.
Own the technology roadmap and device specifications, translating system needs into design targets.
Oversee mask design and tape-outs, including GDS layouts and test structures.
Manage fabrication runs with external partners, defining processes and resolving yield issues.
Define and lead the characterization strategy at multiple levels, including automation of test setups.
Analyze test data to correlate performance with design variations and drive iterations.
Collaborate with packaging and reliability engineers on testing and qualification processes.
Mentor and help recruit new team members as the team expands.
Benefits
Opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary research team.
Engagement with cutting-edge technology in silicon photonics integration.
Chance to lead and shape the technology roadmap in a growing field.
Access to external partnerships for fabrication and development.
Professional development opportunities through mentoring and team growth.
Full Job Description
The role
You'll join a multi-disciplinary research team in the UK to lead the development of III-V active components for integration with silicon photonics. You will take devices from epitaxial stack and device design through fabrication with external partners, to characterisation, reliability and qualification.
What you'll be doing
Lead the design and modelling of III-V active devices, including epitaxial layer structure, gain and power modelling, optical mode design, and electrical and thermal design
Own the technology roadmap and device specifications for your area, translating system requirements into device design and integration targets
Lead mask design and tape-outs, including GDS layouts, test structures and design-of-experiment splits
Manage fabrication runs with external epitaxy and foundry partners: define process flows, review process and in-line data, and resolve yield issues as the technology scales
Define and lead the characterisation strategy at wafer, chip and integrated-PIC level, including building and automating test setups
Analyse test data, correlate measured performance with design and process variations, and drive design iterations to close performance gaps
Work with packaging and reliability engineers on burn-in, accelerated ageing, failure analysis and qualification
Mentor engineers and, as the team grows, help recruit and develop new team members
Essential requirements
PhD in physics, photonics, electrical engineering, optical engineering or a related subject with 6+ years' relevant experience, or a Master's degree with 8+ years' relevant experience, including at least 4 years' hands-on development of III-V optical amplifiers or semiconductor lasers, preferably in industry
Proven track record of taking III-V devices from concept through design, fabrication and test, ideally including qualification
Deep understanding of semiconductor laser and amplifier physics: optical gain, carrier dynamics, quantum-well design, noise, gain saturation and nonlinearities, thermal effects and polarisation dependence
Hands-on knowledge of III-V epitaxy and fabrication processes (e.g. MOCVD/MBE growth, lithography, etching, passivation, metallisation, facet/AR coating), and experience working with external foundries
Experience characterising amplifiers or lasers, including optical spectrum analysis, gain and noise measurement, wafer-level probing, temperature-controlled testing and test automation
Experience with simulation and layout tools for photonic devices, such as Lumerical, Photon Design, Crosslight, RSoft, COMSOL, KLayout, L-Edit or Cadence Virtuoso
Proven ability to lead technical projects across design, process, test and packaging functions, and experience mentoring or supervising engineers
Excellent communication skills, critical thinking, attention to detail and self-motivation
Nice to have
Experience integrating III-V active devices with silicon photonics, including coupling design between III-V and silicon waveguides
Experience line-managing a technical team
Experience with reliability testing and failure analysis of III-V devices
Experience developing PDK building blocks or compact models for active devices
Programming experience (Python, MATLAB or C++) for simulation, test automation and data analysis
Knowledge of photonic packaging, including fibre coupling, thermal design and TEC control
A track record of high-quality patents and research papers
