Senior / Principal PIC Test Engineer

Xscape Photonics•Published 2 months ago•First seen 1 months ago

Senior / Principal PIC Test Engineer 
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced PIC Test Engineer with deep expertise in both wafer-
level and die-level optical and electrical test for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs).
This role will own the test strategy and execution across the full product
lifecycle—from early silicon bring-up through high-volume manufacturing (HVM).
The ideal candidate is a recognized technical authority in test architecture, PIC
Design-for-Test (DFT), yield learning, and factory scalability, with proven leadership
in driving robust test solutions across multiple technology nodes and product
families.

Key Responsibilities-

Wafer-Level Test Strategy & Architecture
 Define and own the wafer-level PIC test roadmap across multiple product lines
and technology platforms.
 Architect scalable, high-throughput optical + electrical wafer probe solutions,
balancing alignment accuracy, probe stability, and test time.
 Establish release criteria, guard-banding strategy, and wafer test coverage
models aligned with product requirements.
Die-Level Testing
 Define and own tests not carried out at wafer level. Examples include Optical
Vector Analysis (OVA) testing, and polariazation-resolved testing.

First Silicon Bring-Up &Test Content Development
 Lead first-silicon bring-up efforts, including test content definition, limit setting,
and characterization flows.
 Drive rapid yield-learning loops in partnership with design, process integration,
and fabrication teams.
 Enable fast debug and iteration during early node transitions and new platform
ramps.
DFT & PDK Collaboration
 Influence PIC Design-for-Test features and PDK structures to improve wafer-level
scalability, including:

  1.  On-chip monitors
  2.  Loopback paths
  3.  Test waveguides
  4.  Calibration structures

 Partner with design teams to embed manufacturable test hooks early in the
development cycle.
Yield Ownership & Data-Driven Analysis
 Own wafer-level yield, parametric distributions, and systematic defect learning.
 Perform advanced spatial analytics using wafer maps and statistical methods to
separate random vs systematic process issues.
 Lead root-cause investigations related to lithography bias and
process drift.
Manufacturing Readiness & Factory Scale-Up
 Establish golden wafer / golden die methodologies for production stability and
tool correlation.
 Partner with foundries and OSATs to qualify wafer-level optical probe
infrastructure.
 Drive successful transfer of test flows into volume manufacturing environments
with strong cross-tool correlation.
Technical Leadership & Team Development
 Serve as the technical escalation point during yield crises and manufacturing
transitions.
 Mentor and develop junior engineers, setting engineering standards and best
practices across wafer-level test programs.
 Multiply organizational impact through scalable infrastructure, DFT influence, and
test standardization.
Qualifications
Required
 10+ years of experience in PIC test engineering, wafer-level probing, or
photonics manufacturing test.
 Proven ownership of wafer-level optical/electrical test strategy from R&D through
HVM.

 Expertise in:
o Wafer-level optical probing
o Die-level test development. For example: characterization of polarization
splitter-rotators and characterization of component backreflection.
o Probe card qualification
o Yield learning and spatial analysis
o Test time optimization
o Foundry engagement and factory transfer

Preferred
 Experience with high-speed optical and electrical testing of photonic integrated
circuits or optical transceivers.
 Experience specifically with silicon photonics PICs, testing over a broad
wavelength range.
 Experience influencing PIC DFT and collaborating closely with PDK development
teams.
 Strong background in high-volume semiconductor or photonics manufacturing
ecosystems.
 Demonstrated leadership in scaling test infrastructure across multiple nodes and
product families.