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. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
About this Role
We are hiring a Principal Analog and Mixed-Signal Architect. The selected candidate will partner with external facing teams at Lightmatter and internal engineering teams to deliver groundbreaking products to the market. In this role, you will contribute to the design and development of innovative analog architecture solutions to deliver high-volume products for our customers. As an architect, you will provide detailed technical documents that describe what needs to be built to the engineering team. You will engage with our cross-disciplinary engineering teams to model and analyze solutions. This role requires a deep understanding of high-frequency systems-on-chip (SoCs), high-speed (40+ GHz) electro-optic interfaces, silicon photonics, and 3D integration. The role also requires creativity, analytical skills, and clear communication skills. You may represent the company at technical conferences as an example of our technical leadership.
You will report directly to the Chief Scientist, but you will also work closely with our digital, analog, photonic, and software teams. Join a tight-knit team where each individual’s contributions directly influence the success of the company and product. You'll have the opportunity to build a new kind of computer from the ground up and to solve groundbreaking challenges along the way. Work with people who love to build and who thrive in technically diverse environments where great ideas are prioritized.
*We are currently hiring for multiple levels for this role. Your level and compensation will be determined by your experience, education, and location.
Responsibilities:
- Creative problem-solving and owning the AMS architectures for a successful high-volume product.
- Architect high-speed (50G and beyond) analog/mixed-signal circuit blocks custom to optical transceivers, such as drivers, TIAs, equalizers, ADC/DACs, PLLs, CDRs, in collaboration with engineering design team
- Apply encoding and error correction techniques for link integrity
- Author and review architectural specifications for internal teams and customer-facing product datasheets
- Develop methodologies and simulation workflows for electro-optic SoC design
- Collaborate with the product team to develop the technological and product roadmap in the context of the industry trends
- Actively collaborate across disciplines—with electronics, photonics, and mechanical engineering teams— to specify the requirements and solutions for circuit blocks, SoCs, debug, and validation
- Publish and present novel ideas, and participate in premier technical conferences
This is not a complete listing of the responsibilities. It’s a representation of the things you will be doing.
Qualifications:
- A Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or similar discipline with at least 8 years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with at least 12 years of relevant experience.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in broadband, RF, and/or mm-wave design for optical communications.
- Expert understanding of signal processing (i.e., equalization, digital signal processing, and coding) and signal integrity in optical communication.
- Experience in designing and testing optical front-end receivers and transmitters (TIAs, drivers), CTLE, DFE, ADC, DAC, oscillators, etc. in advanced CMOS.
- Power user of simulation tools Cadence Virtuoso, Cadence Spectre, Verilog-A, IBIS-AMI simulators.
- Familiarity with techniques to minimize design impact of PVT (process, voltage & temperature) variations and optimize the design for yield.
- Proven track record of delivering successful high-volume silicon in the market. Also, proven understanding of silicon product development flow.
- Excellent communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Ability and desire to collaborate in a cross-disciplinary team.
- 5 years of experience in electronic-photonic co-design and co-simulation for transceivers.
- Experience in silicon photonic devices (Mach-Zehnder and microring modulators, thermally tuned components)
- Expert understanding of SerDes, mixed-signal interfaces, and encoding
- Strong publication and/or patent record
- 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
- Training & Development
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid workplace model
- Equity grants
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.
Top Skills
What We Do
Lightmatter is a startup photonics company that has pioneered a new paradigm in processor chip architecture that uses photons instead of electrons. Now the leader in the photonic AI compute “space race,” this new class of high performance semiconductors is the foundation of Lightmatter’s mission to enable the growth of computing, reduce harmful emissions associated with this growth, and democratize computing for all.
Lightmatter's technology accelerates critical operations in deep neural networks, using an array of programmable photonic elements fabricated alongside transistors in conventional computer chip fabrication processes. Our close-knit team of engineers has created an integrated photonics chip and ultra-high performance interconnect that is faster, more efficient, and cooler than anything else on earth (or anything ever experienced before) to power the next giant leaps in human progress.
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