Compensation Overview

​​Sr./Principal Analog Architect

Lightmatter builds chips that enable extreme-scale artificial intelligence computing clusters. If you’re a collaborative engineer or scientist who has a passion for innovation, solving challenging technical problems, and doing impactful work like building the world’s first optically accelerated computers, consider joining the team at Lightmatter!

We are hiring a Sr./Principal Analog 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 designing and developing 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 and 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.

Responsibilities: 

• Creative problem-solving and owning the architectures, characterization plans, and packaging approaches for a successful high-volume product.
• Be the AMS architecture owner of Lightmatter’s Passage product. Work closely with the rest of the architecture team and the chip-design team.
• Lead direct collaboration with top tier semiconductor customer(s) throughout the product development process at the system architecture level.
• Architect high-speed (50G and beyond) circuit blocks for optical transceivers, such as drivers, TIAs, equalizers, ADC/DACs, PLLs, CDRs that interface with SerDes.
• Author, review, and validate architectural specifications. With the product and applications engineering teams, also produce customer-facing product datasheets and reference designs.
• Lead the development and drive methodologies and simulation workflows for electro-optic SoC co-design.
• Collaborate with the product team to develop our future technological and product roadmap in the context of industry trends.
• Work closely with test and validation engineers to validate hardware against simulation prediction to ensure high performance and high yield.
• 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

• A Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or similar discipline with at least 5+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with at least 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in broadband,  RF, and/or mm-wave design.
• Strong understanding of signal processing and signal integrity in optical communication.
• Highly proficient in designing high-speed and power-efficient optical transceivers 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.
• Excellent understanding of designs and layouts that optimize for speed and power while minimizing noise and crosstalk.
• Proven track record of delivering successful high-volume silicon in the market. Also, proven understanding of silicon product development flow.
• Excellent customer and vendor communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability and desire to collaborate in a cross-disciplinary team.
• 3 years of experience in electronic-photonic co-design and co-simulation for transceivers.
• Understanding of SerDes and mixed-signal interfaces
• Strong publication and/or patent record 

• Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• 401k matching
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Paid Family Leave
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Flexible, hybrid workplace model
• Stock Option Plan

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role, including all US locations, is $198,000 to $270,000. Your base salary will be determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

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.