Senior Silicon Photonics Designer at nEye.ai (Santa Clara, CA)
nEye.ai· Santa Clara, CA· $170k–$240k·
Role details
Job description
nEye.ai, a well-funded optical switch startup, is poised to revolutionize the future of data centers. nEye’s MEMS-based silicon photonics optical circuit switches (OCS) eliminate critical bottlenecks in AI processing by enabling direct optical connections among thousands of GPUs and memory units. The company's SuperSwitch is an ultra-low power consumption, high radix, compact chip-scale design, offering hyperscale data centers enhanced performance, efficiency, and scalability. Position Summary We are seeking a hands-on Senior Packaging Failure Analysis Engineer to lead root-cause investigation of complex failures across our silicon photonics, MEMS, optical packaging, and electronic assemblies. This role will have a particular focus on cross-sectioning bonded components and analyzing material interfaces, including adhesive/epoxy attach, fusion and eutectic bonding, solder interconnects, and hermetic packages. The ideal candidate combines a strong foundation in materials science and interfacial phenomena with deep practical experience in failure analysis, microscopy, analytical characterization, and sample preparation. You will own investigations from initial non-destructive analysis through destructive physical analysis, determine the appropriate characterization technique for each problem, translate findings into actionable root cause and corrective actions, and feed learnings back into product design, packaging, manufacturing, and supplier processes. Over time, this individual may also play a key role in building and expanding in-house failure analysis capabilities, including cross-sectioning/polishing, microscopy, SEM/EDS, and related analytical infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities
- Act as the Senior Engineer when collaborating with other nEye groups to optimize chip design for product system-level requirements
- Driving specific device designs and collaborating on fabrication methodologies.
- Designing photonic components and photonic integrated circuits to advance our optical switch technology.
- Developing, overseeing, and performing photonic component and system-level testing.
- Working cross-functionally with system and fabrication team members to develop improved optical switch capabilities.
Required Skills & Qualifications
- PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Physics, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
- 4-8+ years hands-on experience with Silicon Photonics in an industry setting
- Strong understanding of microfabrication processes and related constraints on photonic component designs.
- Strong understanding and proficient experience of photonic component simulation tools such as FDTD, EME, FEM, or FIT.
- Strong proficiency in Python
- Experience with photonic integrated circuit layout and photonics foundry tape-out.
- Experience with designing and executing detailed photonic device experiments and characterization protocols.
- Strong communication skills in collaboration, verbal presentation, and written reports.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication (written and oral), and leadership skills.
nEye.ai is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
Why work at nEye.ai
- Mission-Driven: Tackle one of the hardest problems in AI infrastructure – optical connectivity at scale.
- On-Site Culture: Roles are based in Santa Clara, CA (with an additional Berkeley office), fostering close collaboration among a tight-knit, highly technical team.
- Impact & Ownership: Small team (~36 people) means engineers have broad responsibility and direct influence on product direction.
- Veteran Leadership: Work alongside former Google, Bell Labs, and successful startup leaders who have raised over $100M and achieved multiple exits.
- Growth Trajectory: Rapid headcount growth and significant venture backing signal a company in an aggressive scaling phase, offering career advancement opportunities.