Sr. Physical Design Engineer
Lumilens · San Jose
Extracted from the posting
Owns full-chip and block-level physical implementation from RTL to GDSII on TSMC 5nm and 3nm nodes, including floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, and physical verification. Drives timing, power, and area closure with RTL and STA teams, and performs tapeout signoff (PV, EM/IR, ESD). Requires 8+ years of physical design experience and Tcl, Python, or Perl scripting.
ABOUT LUMILENS
At Lumilens we are building the critical photonics infrastructure that powers tomorrow’s AI supercomputing. From chip-to-chip optical interconnects to scalable photonic engines, Lumilens is unlocking a new era of computing faster, cooler, and massively more efficient.
We’re a well-funded startup backed by Mayfield and others, and led by veterans who’ve built and scaled some of the most transformative technologies in the industry. This isn’t incremental innovation, it’s a ground-floor opportunity to rethink the optical layer from the silicon up. You’ll work alongside a team of world-class engineers solving some of the hardest challenges in optics, systems, and scale. Every line of code, every design decision, every breakthrough you help deliver will shape the infrastructure of tomorrow.
If you're looking for mission, momentum, and the chance to make an outsized impact
jump on the rocket ship. We’re just getting started.
Role Overview
We are seeking a Senior Physical Design Engineer to join our silicon design team developing high-performance ASIC using TSMC advance process nodes, including 5nm and 3nm. In this role, you will own physical implementation from RTL to GDSII, drive timing and power closure for ultra-high-speed designs, and work closely with RTL, STA, IP, and verification teams to solve complex implementation challenges unique to advanced-node and high-speed transceiver architectures.
Key Responsibilities:
- Physical Implementation: Own full-chip and block-level physical implementation, including floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, and physical verification for high-speed designs in advanced TSMC nodes.
- Timing, Power, and Area Closure: Collaborate closely with RTL and STA teams to ensure clean handoffs and convergent timing, area, and power closure across complex design blocks and full chip.
- Advanced Physical Design: Apply physical design techniques for multi-voltage and multi-frequency domains, hierarchical implementation, physical-aware synthesis, congestion mitigation, skew optimization, and RC extraction-aware placement and routing.
- Signoff and Tape out: Perform tapeout signoff activities, including PV, EM/IR, ESD and ejobview using industry-standard verification tools.
Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience: 8+ years of hands-on physical design experience, preferably with advanced technology nodes at 5nm or below.
- Physical Design Expertise: Strong experience with floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, IR drop mitigation, timing closure, and signoff debugging.
- Tools and Automation: Hands-on experience with tools such as Synopsys ICC2, RedHawk SC, Cadence Innovus, Voltus, Simens Calibre etc, along with strong scripting skills in Tcl, Python, or Perl.
Preferred Qualifications (Bonus)
- High-Speed PHY Implementation: Experience with high-speed PHY such as SerDes, UCIe etc physical design implementation.
- Advanced-Node Signoff: Familiarity with EM/IR analysis, power grid optimization, congestion analysis, physical verification, and tapeout signoff in advanced semiconductor process nodes.
- High-Frequency Design Exposure: Experience supporting high-frequency datapath or DSP-heavy designs is a plus.
- 2.5D or 3D design experience: Experience with TSMC CoWoS or SoIC-X design experience is a strong plus.
What we offer
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience
- Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance
- Professional development opportunities and certification support
- Access to cutting-edge technology and cloud platforms
- Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams
*Lumilens is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, identity, orientation, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
