Senior Optical Modulator Designer

What you will do

Imec has developed successful offerings in silicon photonics through its Optical I/O R&D program, aimed at short-reach optical communications, and through wafer-level prototype fabrication services for customers in telecom, datacom, computing, bio-medical and sensing applications. These activities are growing and require the expansion of our team.

As an optical modulator designer, you design, implement and measure reference optical modulator devices (MZM, ring modulators, disk modulators etc.) for the characterization and development of our silicon photonics platforms. You support our customers engaged in prototyping activities. You also develop exploratory modulator concepts (in structure or materials) as part of our R&D programs.

Your responsibilities:

• Define, implement, and document design methodologies for modulator devices.
• Design state-of-the-art modulators for imec silicon photonics platforms, to drive the platform improvements and to be used by customers.
• Develop new concepts for optical modulators, in project teams together with process integration specialists, reliability engineers etc.
• Layout your design with the tools used in the team.
• Own the characterization of your devices (test procedure, data analysis and reporting).
• Build compact models to be used by circuit designers (internal and external customers).
• Share your expertise with your colleagues in the silicon photonics group.

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process; not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth. 

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a market appropriate salary with many fringe benefits. 

Who you are

• You have an excellent understanding of the physics of optical modulator devices and knowledge of semiconductor manufacturing process and constraints.
• You are curious, creative and rigorous.
• You have demonstrated experience with designing robust optical modulator devices, preferably in an industrial context.
• You master the simulations tools: Sentaurus TCAD, Lumerical or RSoft, Agilent ADS or HFSS.
• You have hands-on experience with characterizing high-speed devices using LCA, network analyzer, pattern generator, RF spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope etc.
• You have experience with electro-optics modeling of fast devices (>25GHz), including generating compact models in Verilog-A.
• You layout your designs using a scripting language (like ipkiss from Luceda Photonics).
• You have experience and are comfortable programming in Python and using git.
• You have good communication skills in English to communicate with your colleagues in our multinational team and with customers.
• You have a Master or PhD degree.