Principal Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer

NVIDIA is hiring a Principal Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer in Santa Clara, United States. It pays $232k-$368k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on NVIDIA.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
Level classifies it as a lead role.
Level lists 2,600+ other open roles at NVIDIA.

AI in this role

We are now looking for a Principal Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer. We are part of the global circuits team at NVIDIA that craft the state-of-the-art GPUs for all applications such as supercomputers, gaming consoles and self-driving cars. Come join us in our mission to Engineer the next generation of outstanding products. Teams are dedicated to the architecture and design of CMOS and Silicon-Photonics high-speed chip interfaces (NVLink, IEEE, PCIE, USB, OIF) and other sophisticated photonic functions. Strong hands-on lab experience with silicon evaluation, debugging, characterization, and bring up.

What you will be doing:

Work on Thermal and Structural design of Silicon Photonic designs
Run stress simulation in optical components and fiber alignment and propose improved design of optical components.
Set up experimental methodology for thermal validation and laser performance under different stress conditions.
Modeling Si die-package thermo-mechanical interactions
Solder joint fatigue and creep modeling
Support the optical engineering and system engineering leads with the opto-mechanical system design.
Die-package thermo-mechanical interactions in electronic packages for predicting failures during various assembly and reliability tests to recommend design, process or material changes.
Hygroscopic stresses in electronic packages due to moisture diffusion.
Crack propagation and interfacial delamination.
Multifaceted simulation of wire-bonding and wire fusing process
Thermal characterization of electronic packages (crafting thermal specification datasheets based on FE and experiments according to JEDEC standards)
Solder joint fatigue and creep modeling

What we need to see:

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a similar discipline (or equivalent experience) with 15+ years of experience in a related field
8+ years of experience in the development of silicon photonics ICs from concept to high-volume manufacturing
Experience in product development of optics or photonic systems
Experience in applied research on Silicon Photonic ICs and Systems
Hands-on experience with Silicon Photonics products
Proficient in Ansys tools
Background with design tools and fixtures to aid in alignment, fabrication, gluing, and assembly of lasers, interferometers, and optical components
Experience working, communicating, and collaborating in a cross-functional team environment
Experience defining system performance and component specifications
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Self-motivated and self-directed individual, with little supervision vital

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary range for this position is 232,000 USD – 368,000 USD.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until November 3, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

How we rate this

Principal Thermal Mechanical Photonic Designer at NVIDIA rates 22 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.