This role pays more than
98%
of similar roles. Most pay
$174,375–$227,500
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$300k
versus about
$201k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About Nvidia
Nvidia is a leading designer of graphics processing units (GPUs) and system-on-chip units, powering gaming, professional visualization, data centers, and artificial intelligence workloads. Industry: Semiconductors & AI Computing
Nvidia currently has
896 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$184,000–$287,500
across 876 roles with salary data.
The Principal Photonics IC Design Engineer joins the Mixed-Signal Design Photonics team to serve as a technical lead for photonics integrated circuit products. This role involves owning end-to-end product delivery from architecture definition through production tapeout and silicon validation. The engineer will manage cross-functional execution across photonic device, analog/mixed-signal, packaging, and systems teams while mentoring designers and setting the roadmap. Key responsibilities include designing optical transceiver PICs featuring modulators, photodetectors, wavelength multiplexing, waveguides, and optical couplers for high-speed or DWDM applications. The role requires expertise in Cadence tools including Virtuoso, PCell development, and SKILL scripting, alongside experience with Ansys Lumerical, ZeMax, MATLAB, Python, and Verilog-A. This position addresses the technical challenge of developing co-packaged optical interconnects to power advanced AI supercomputers using silicon photonics platforms and complex electromagnetic solvers like FDTD, FDE, and EME.
Develop and improve PIC design methodologies, automation scripts, and verification flows in Cadence tools.
Mentor a team of photonics designers and set the technical direction for the roadmap.
What we're looking for
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, or a related field with emphasis on integrated photonics, silicon photonics, or photonic device physics (or equivalent experience).
8+ years of industry experience in photonics IC design with demonstrated progression into technical leadership roles.
Deep hands-on expertise with Cadence design environment including Virtuoso, PCell development, and SKILL scripting for photonic IC layout and simulation.
Proven track record of personally driving PICs from design through GDS signoff on a foundry silicon photonics process.
Strong understanding of photonic device physics including waveguides, passive/active components, ring/MZI modulators, photodetectors, and optical couplers.
Demonstrated technical leadership in setting project scope, making architecture tradeoffs, and driving cross-team alignment.
Experience with high-speed (>50 Gbaud) optical modulator or receiver PIC design for datacom/telecom applications (preferred).
Experience with DWDM architectures, co-packaged optics, and various simulation tools like Ansys Lumerical or ZeMax (preferred).