ChromoPIC Sensing is a DeepTech, Fabless Semiconductor company developing an advanced suite of sensors for frontier industries such as Space, Defense & Marine etc.

Founded by former Silicon Valley based, Automotive LiDAR experts & with fresh funding raised from a set of revered investors - ChromoPIC is now looking to hire for the following position(s).

Role: Principal Consulting Engineer – RF

Domain: Photonic Integrated Circuits / Silicon Photonics / Electro-Optics / Antenna Design / Traveling-wave electrodes

Engagement: Consulting / Part time / Fractional / Project-based

Seniority: Principal / Subject Matter Expert

Role Summary:

We are looking for an experienced Principal Consulting Engineer – RF to provide technical leadership in the design, simulation, characterization, and integration of RF and high-speed electrical interfaces for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs).

The role will focus on translating system-level electro-optical requirements into RF architectures, transmission-line structures, high-speed photonic device interfaces, and measurement methodologies, with particular emphasis on high-frequency performance, signal integrity, impedance matching, and electro-optical co-design.

The consultant will work closely with PIC designers, photonic device engineers, packaging engineers, PCB/electronics designers, and system architects to develop manufacturable and testable RF-photonic solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

- RF–Photonic Co-Design

- Define RF requirements for electro-optic PICs, including bandwidth, impedance, insertion loss, return loss, RF power, noise, linearity, phase response, crosstalk
- Develop RF architectures for electro-optic modulators, photodetectors, optical receivers, coherent systems, and RF-over-photonics applications.
- Evaluate trade-offs between photonic, RF, packaging, and system-level performance.

2. High-Speed RF Design
- Design and review CPW, microstrip, stripline, and traveling-wave electrode structures on PICs and interposers.
- Optimize impedance matching and RF signal propagation through PIC, bond wires, wire bonds, flip-chip interfaces, packages, PCB, connectors, Analyze parasitic capacitance, inductance, loss and discontinuities.

3. RF Simulation & Modeling




- Perform or guide electromagnetic and circuit-level simulations using tools such as Ansys HFSS, CST, Keysight ADS, Cadence, COMSOL, MATLAB/Python, Develop equivalent-circuit and behavioral models for photonic/RF components.
- Correlate simulation results with wafer/package/bench measurements.

4. Electro-Optic Device Characterization
- Establish characterization methodologies for RF-photonic devices.
- Analyze S-parameters, EO S21, bandwidth, Vπ, VπL, RF loss, impedance, and electro-optic response.
- Develop measurement setups involving VNA, High-speed oscilloscopes, RF signal generators, Spectrum analyzers, Optical receivers, high-speed probes, bias tees, RF probes.

5. PIC Packaging & Interconnect
- Advise on RF implications of different packaging approaches.
- Work with packaging teams on RF launch design, wire-bond geometry, flip-chip interconnects, substrate selection and thermal considerations.
- Identify sources of RF degradation introduced during packaging and assembly.

6. Foundry / Technology Interaction
- Review foundry PDK capabilities and limitations related to RF-photonic devices.
- Translate RF requirements into PIC layout and process requirements.
- Support technology selection and discussions with external PIC foundries, packaging houses and component suppliers.

7. System-Level Architecture Depending on the company's product portfolio, contribute to systems such as coherent optical transceivers, optical communications, LiDAR, microwave photonics, photonic radar, RF signal, processing, optical frequency/phase measurement, photonic sensing, integrated optical gyroscopes.

The Principal Consultant should be expected to:

1. Review and challenge RF/PIC architectures.
2. Identify technical bottlenecks before tape-out.
3. Establish RF design rules and design methodologies.
4.



Review layouts and simulation results.
5. Define characterization plans.
6. Diagnose discrepancies between simulation and measurement.
7. Guide junior/mid-level engineers.
8. Interface with external foundries and packaging vendors.
9. Make technology-selection recommendations.
10. Provide independent technical judgment on RF/PIC feasibility.

Required Experience, Essential:

1. 4+ years of experience in RF/microwave, high-speed electronics, electro-optics, or a closely related field.
2. Strong understanding of:

- RF/microwave engineering
- Transmission lines
- S-parameters
- Impedance matching
- Signal integrity
- High-speed interconnects
- Electromagnetic simulation.

Experience with:

1. High-speed electro-optic devices or RF-photonic systems.
2. VNAs and RF characterization.
3. Strong understanding of PCB/package/PIC interconnect effects.
4. Ability to translate system specifications into component-level RF requirements.

Highly desirable Experience with:

1. Silicon photonics / TFLN PIC / SiN PIC / InP PIC.
2. Electro-Optic modulators and high-speed photodetectors.
3. Traveling-wave electrodes.
4. 40–100+ GHz RF systems.
5. RFIC/MMIC or high-speed semiconductor packaging.
6. PIC foundries and PDKs.
7. Wafer-level RF probing and electro-optic characterization.
8. Microwave photonics or coherent optical systems.

Educational Background: M.Tech / M.S. / Ph.D. in RF & Microwave Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Photonics, Optics, or a related discipline.

Exceptional industry experience may substitute for an advanced degree.

Key Deliverables:

The consultant would typically be accountable for:

1. RF architecture definition
2. RF/PIC design reviews
3. Electromagnetic and circuit simulation methodology
4. RF layout/design guidelines
5. High-speed device models
6. Measurement and characterization methodology
7. RF/package/PIC interface optimization
8. Foundry/PDK technical evaluation
9. Root-cause analysis of RF/EO performance issues
10. Technical mentoring and design reviews

We are looking for exceptional talent to join us in our extraordinary journey! write to [email protected] with a resume and a short introduction.

📌 Principal RF Design Engineer - Consultant (Bengaluru)
🏢 ChromoPIC
📍 Bengaluru