Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
About This Role
Lightmatter is looking for a Package Layout Design Engineer to drive the next generation products from concept to development. You will be part of the Signal Integrity, Power Integrity and Packaging team, tasked with delivering substrate layouts that support the package architecture from concept, through design optimization and completion, meeting stringent signal integrity, power integrity, and design for manufacturing requirements. This position offers a unique opportunity to work on new package architectures by solving complex interactions across digital, analog and photonics domains.
Responsibilities- Deliver IC package substrate layouts for standard and advanced packaging technologies.
- Contribute to the product concept phase by delivering preliminary substrate designs and floorplanning to support overall stack-up (Silicon/package/MB) optimization.
- Collaborate with package substrate suppliers and Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) companies to apply layout design rules, stack up, and implementation guidelines.
- Generate fab files and coordinate with substrate suppliers and OSATs to support Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) closure.
- Design package layouts while adhering to signal integrity, power integrity, thermal, and mechanical requirements.
- Design packages incorporating analog and digital elements/interfaces.
- Support signal/power integrity engineers by providing iterative test routes to refine design rules and routing topologies.
- Coordinate across functional teams to execute error-free Package Design Tape Outs on schedule.
- Support and adapt design automation and verification activities to improve team efficiency.
- B.S. or M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering or similar discipline with at least 5 years of relevant experience
- Minimum 3–5 years of experience in IC package layout design.
- Proficient with Allegro X APD.
- Understanding of IC package substrates and organic materials, and their impact on package design.
- Educational background in IC packaging and substrate layout design.
- Familiarity with system-level validation tools such as Cadence Integrity 3DIC for package/IC codesign.
- Familiarity with layout tools (e.g., Expedition Package Designer, Pads Layout, Altium, etc.).
- Experience with layout tool scripting languages (e.g., SKILL or Python) to enable design automation.
- Exposure to or interest in early-stage architectural pathfinding and physical feasibility studies for multi-chiplet and advanced packaging architectures (2.5D/3D IC, Silicon Interposers, EMIB, Fan-Out Chip-on-Wafer, etc.).
- Experience evaluating floorplans, escape routing, bump patterns (micro-bumps / hybrid bonding), and die-to-die (D2D) interface topologies.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams.
We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.
- Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Savings Matching Program
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Paid Family Leave
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid workplace model
- Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
Export Control
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a similar discipline
- At least 5 years of relevant experience
- 3–5 years of experience in IC package layout design
- Proficiency with Allegro X APD
- Understanding of IC package substrates and organic materials and their impact on package design
- Educational background in IC packaging and substrate layout design
- Familiarity with Cadence Integrity 3DIC
- Familiarity with Expedition Package Designer, PADS Layout, Altium, or similar layout tools
- Experience with SKILL or Python for layout-tool design automation
- Experience with multi-chiplet and advanced packaging architectures, including 2.5D/3D IC, silicon interposers, EMIB, or Fan-Out Chip-on-Wafer
- Experience evaluating floorplans, escape routing, bump patterns, and die-to-die interface topologies
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
Lightmatter Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Lightmatter and has not been reviewed or approved by Lightmatter.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive for specialized photonics and AI‑hardware roles, with posted ranges and third‑party totals aligning to strong market levels. Compensation for niche roles is framed as consistent with top‑tier hardware/photonics expectations.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare is described as comprehensive, covering medical, dental, and vision in current postings. Additional protections like life insurance and disability are also called out.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants for full‑time employees are commonly included alongside base pay. Some postings also mention performance‑based equity components.
Lightmatter Insights
What We Do
Lightmatter is a startup photonics company that has pioneered a new paradigm in processor chip architecture that uses photons instead of electrons. Now the leader in the photonic AI compute “space race,” this new class of high performance semiconductors is the foundation of Lightmatter’s mission to enable the growth of computing, reduce harmful emissions associated with this growth, and democratize computing for all. Lightmatter's technology accelerates critical operations in deep neural networks, using an array of programmable photonic elements fabricated alongside transistors in conventional computer chip fabrication processes. Our close-knit team of engineers has created an integrated photonics chip and ultra-high performance interconnect that is faster, more efficient, and cooler than anything else on earth (or anything ever experienced before) to power the next giant leaps in human progress.
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