About the role#
The System Level Test team manages the final at-speed testing of silicon photonics products. These high-speed optical interconnects move data between processors in AI data centers. This summer internship focuses on an optical characterization and correlation study to improve production testing. You will work on optical hardware in the lab, build measurement automation, and generate data to influence how future products are tested.
What you'll do#
- Characterize silicon photonics units using bench optical instrumentation to measure output power, modulation amplitude, extinction ratio, and wavelength.
- Develop automation to run measurements, control lab setups, and log results in a consistent data format.
- Correlate unit measurements against a calibrated laboratory reference to quantify per-unit offsets and population spread.
- Measure unit stability across time, temperature, and repeated re-insertion, while analyzing repeatability and drift.
- Deliver a feasibility and gap assessment with a recommendation for the calibration and maintenance scheme required for production deployment.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment in a Bachelor program in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, or a related field.
- Coursework or project experience in integrated circuit design, device or circuit characterization, or electrical or optical testing.
- Hands-on experience with lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, or optical power meters.
- Programming experience in Python or a similar language, including reading and plotting measurement data.
- Research, lab, or prior internship experience in photonics or semiconductors is preferred.
- Experience automating lab instruments using PyVISA, SCPI, or similar tools is preferred.
- Familiarity with basic statistics, including mean, standard deviation, repeatability, and measurement uncertainty, is preferred.
- Relevant publications, projects, or open-source contributions are a plus.
Location & details#
- Location: Mountain View, California, United States
- Term: Summer 2027
- Modality: On-site
- Compensation: Paid internship
- Employment type: Full-time
About Lightmatter
Lightmatter operates in the computer hardware manufacturing industry. The company builds technology designed to improve computer processing capabilities. It is a privately held organization founded in 2017. The business is based in Mountain View, California, and maintains a staff of 201 to 500 employees.
How to get in at Lightmatter
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