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Skorpios Technologies

Develops wafer-scale silicon photonics modules

Silicon Photonics Device Design Engineer

Full-Time
$150k - $185k/yr
Expert
Master's, PhD
Temecula, CA, USA
In Person
Hardware Engineering
No H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 10 years of experience.
  • A Master of Science or Ph.D. in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Material Science, or a related field; photonics or a related discipline with emphasis in optical communications and high-speed optical components.
  • A deep understanding of optical devices and polarization components.
  • A solid understanding of optical waveguides, polarization, optical modes, and fiber-optic communications.
  • An understanding of designing photonic devices, including optical couplers, wavelength-division multiplexing devices, polarization splitters/combiners, polarization rotators, and 90-degree hybrids.
  • Proficiency in design and simulations for optical waveguides and other active and passive photonic devices.
  • Familiarity with optical waveguide device characterization and analysis.
  • Ability to work with processing engineers to define fabrication methods.
  • Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment.
  • Verbal and written communication skills.
  • Must meet the stated U.S. person requirements for ITAR-regulated work: U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, political asylee, or refugee.
Responsibilities
  • Design, model, and simulate high-performance silicon photonics devices—including optical couplers, wavelength-division multiplexing devices, polarization splitters and combiners, polarization rotators, and 90-degree hybrids—for integration into a silicon photonics system chip.
  • Model and simulate thermal response for optical device performance.
  • Perform optical mode matching over a large wavelength range.
  • Establish tolerance and process design rules to enable design rule checks for designs and layouts.
  • Direct high-performance integrated circuit layout of designed components.
  • Design experiments and perform design validation testing.
  • Support and present design reviews.
  • Design for manufacturability.
  • Establish schematics for layouts.
  • Use computer software to design optical components.
Desired Qualifications
  • Extensive industrial experience in silicon or III-V photonics device design and characterization, with a proven track record from concept to manufacturing; alternatively, a Ph.D. graduate with outstanding research work on directly related devices may be considered.
  • Significant industrial experience in the optical components industry.
  • Experience with Ansys Lumerical, Zemax, Speos, JMP, or MiniTab.

About the company

Skorpios Technologies designs and sells integrated photonics products built on a proprietary wafer-scale silicon photonics process. Its offerings include modules and components for ethernet pluggable optics, copackaged optics, Lidar, and biosensors, serving telecommunications, data centers, automotive, and healthcare markets. The technology combines lasers, modulators, and photodiodes on a single wafer to create compact, efficient devices used for data transmission and optical sensing. This approach differentiates Skorpios from competitors by using its unique wafer-scale silicon photonics architecture and in-house foundry services to deliver high-performance, densely integrated optical solutions. The company’s goal is to provide fast, reliable optical transmission and sensing technologies that meet the growing demand across multiple industries by delivering advanced photonics products and fabrication services.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series D

Total Funding

$67.9M

Headquarters

Temecula, California

Founded

2009

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Skorpios announced 1.6 Tbps and 6.4 Tbps optical engines on May 7, 2026.
  • The May 7, 2026 0.35 FIT milestone shifts failure risk from lasers to packaging.
  • Temecula funding in 2025 financed relocation and restart, restoring manufacturing capacity.

What critics are saying

  • Broadcom's Bailly and NVIDIA's Spectrum-X CPO shipped in 2026, squeezing pluggable demand.
  • Skorpios' Temecula restart followed 2023 Austin shutdown and 60 layoffs, signaling fragile operations.
  • If hyperscalers standardize on Broadcom optical engines, Skorpios becomes a niche supplier.

What makes Skorpios Technologies unique

  • Skorpios' Tru-SiPh integrated lasers hit 0.35 FIT on May 7, 2026.
  • It integrates lasers, modulators, and photodiodes on-wafer, removing discrete alignment complexity.
  • Its 1.6 Tbps and 6.4 Tbps optical engines target 102.4T AI switches.

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Benefits

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Paid Holidays

Paid Vacation

Gym Membership

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

-2%

2 year growth

-4%
Associated Press
Mar 17th, 2026
Skorpios achieves 0.35 FIT laser reliability, shifting silicon photonics bottleneck to packaging

Skorpios Technologies has achieved a 0.35 FIT (Failures In Time) reliability rate for integrated lasers in its Tru-SiPh platform, according to a new white paper released at OFC 2026. The milestone shifts the primary reliability bottleneck from lasers to physical packaging in optical systems. The company's wafer-scale integration eliminates mechanical vulnerabilities found in traditional optical transceivers, which typically exhibit failure rates between 120 and 300 FIT. Skorpios integrates two lasers and one Semiconductor Optical Amplifier per channel directly into silicon, removing the need for discrete laser alignment and external fibre channels. The Temecula, California-based company's approach addresses thermal and mechanical constraints in co-packaged optics and high-speed Ethernet switching architectures. Skorpios provides silicon photonics solutions for AI infrastructure, hyperscale networking and other advanced applications.

Military Industry Today
Sep 11th, 2023
Skorpios Technologies Announces Reopening of Services in New Fab Facility in Temecula California

Skorpios Technologies announces reopening of services in new Fab facility in Temecula california.

Skorpios Technologies, Inc.
Mar 2nd, 2023
Skorpios Technologies, Inc. Today Announces the Relocation of Its Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication Operation to Southern California | Skorpios Technologies Inc.

Skorpios Technologies, Inc., a vertically integrated leader in heterogeneously integrated silicon photonics announced today that it will be moving fab operations from Austin, Texas to Southern California.

The Business Journals
Feb 14th, 2023
Skorpios to close Austin factory, cut 60 jobs

Semiconductor company Skorpios Technologies Inc. plans to cut 60 employees and shut down an Austin factory after it couldn't negotiate a new lease with its landlord, the University of Texas.