Senior Photonic Device & Simulation Engineer

Company Description

MoRF is developing a silicon-compatible photonics platform that brings high-speed, low-energy electro-optic performance into standard silicon manufacturing. Its proprietary material stack and process flow are designed to integrate with existing silicon infrastructure, avoiding the cost, yield, and scale limitations of specialized photonic fabs. MoRF’s first target is high-bandwidth optical modulation for data centers and telecom, with longer-term applications in quantum and RF photonics.

Role Description

We are looking for a Senior Photonic Device & Simulation Engineer to join as one of the first hires in our startup. This person will own the design, simulation, and experimental validation of high-speed electro-optic modulators and related photonic building blocks for photonic integrated circuits. This is not a narrow simulation-only role. The right candidate should be able to move from device physics and simulations to layout intent, foundry constraints, test structures, lab data, model updates, and design decisions. You will work closely with the founders and early engineering team to turn device concepts into manufacturable, measurable, and scalable PIC designs. 

Responsebilities

• Own the design and optimization of high-speed electro-optic modulators, including MZM, traveling-wave MZM, ring modulators, phase shifters, waveguides, couplers, transitions, and related active/passive photonic structures.
• Build and maintain simulation workflows using Ansys Lumerical, or equivalent photonic simulation tools.
• Model and optimize key high-speed modulator metrics, including EO bandwidth, Vπ, Vπ·L, insertion loss, extinction ratio, RF loss, impedance, velocity matching, S-parameters, optical loss, and process sensitivity.
• Translate system-level and link-level requirements into photonic-device specifications.
• Work with layout engineers or external layout resources to convert device designs into manufacturable PIC layouts, including clear layout intent, design rules, test structures, and review criteria.
• Support compact-model development for device-, circuit-, and system-level simulations. Breaking the Silicon Wall
• Run design-of-experiment, and tolerance studies to improve yield, robustness, and manufacturability.
• Define and support wafer-level and packaged-device characterization, including DC, optical, EO, and RF measurements.
• Compare measurement data with simulations, identify gaps, update models, and drive the next design iteration.
• Work directly with foundries, packaging partners, RF/electrical engineers, and test engineers to resolve cross-domain design issues.
• Contribute to the startup’s core photonics IP, design methodology, simulation infrastructure, and technical roadmap

Requirements

●M.Sc. or Ph.D. in photonics, electrical engineering, applied physics, optoelectronics, or related field.

● Hands-on experience with Lumerical or equivalent photonic simulation tools.

● Strong understanding of integrated optics, electro-optic modulation, waveguides, phase shifters, and high-speed photonic devices.

● Experience with active photonic components such as modulators, photodiodes, or phase shifters.

● Ability to work with layout engineers and foundry PDK constraints.

Preferred:

● Traveling-wave modulator or RF photonics experience

● HFSS, COMSOL, ADS, Spectre, Sentaurus, Silvaco, or similar tool experience

● High-speed EO/RF characterization experience: VNA, S-parameters, TDR/TDT, BERT, high-speed oscilloscope, probe stations

● Experience with compact-model/CML extraction and photonic circuit simulation ● Prior PIC tape-out experience