Photonics Circuit Designer (f/m/d)

About This Opportunity

Our talent team is representing a confidential semiconductor technology organization developing advanced photonic integrated circuits. We are seeking a Photonics Circuit Designer to join their Aachen, Germany office. This role owns the complete implementation lifecycle of photonic integrated circuits—from schematic capture through foundry tape-out.

You will translate device concepts and architectural requirements into PDK-compliant, manufacturable PIC designs. Working across photonics architecture, simulation, electronic IC design, and packaging teams, you will drive circuit-level implementation, floor planning, verification, and foundry coordination.

Responsibilities

• Own PIC schematic capture and physical layout implementation using industry-standard photonic IC design flows, including photonic components, waveguide routing, and full chip assemblies
• Define PIC floor plans and 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 ensuring consistency between layouts, netlists, and simulation models
• Drive verification and tape-out readiness: execute DRC/LVS, debug extraction issues, achieve verification closure, and coordinate 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

What We're Looking For

Required:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, or related technical field with strong fundamentals in optics, electromagnetics, and semiconductor device physics
• 5+ years of experience in PIC schematic capture and mask layout using Cadence Virtuoso, Synopsys photonic design flows, or equivalent tools (code-based or GUI-based)
• 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: 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
• Familiarity with PIC design and verification workflows, including Ansys Lumerical (FDTD, MODE, CHARGE/HEAT, INTERCONNECT), foundry PDKs, DRC/LVS toolchains, Python-based automation (NumPy, SciPy, pandas), and Git

Preferred:

• PIC/EIC co-design experience
• 2.5D/3D packaging floor planning or advanced package integration experience
• Verilog-A or compact model development for photonic devices
• Semiconductor product development experience, including reliability, qualification, and production requirements

How We Work With You

Candidates apply directly through Get A Job.ai. Our recruiting team conducts an initial screening to understand your background and ensure alignment with the role requirements. Qualified candidates are then submitted to our client for consideration. Please do not attempt to contact the client organization directly, as all communication is managed through our team to ensure a smooth and professional process for everyone involved.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed with qualified candidates during the screening process based on experience level and the client's published salary framework.

Equal Opportunity

Get A Job.ai is committed to inclusive recruiting practices. We welcome applications from qualified individuals of all backgrounds and work to ensure equitable access to opportunities with our client partners.