Internship - Projects on Silicon Photonics

Data traffic is exploding! At Lumiphase, we are on a mission to create the fastest and most energy-efficient communication chip the world has ever seen – to enable global IT infrastructure to handle this massive increase in data.

We are a young and dynamic deep-tech startup, based in the Zürich area, Switzerland.

Lumiphase was founded in 2020, after nearly 10 years of research within IBM. We currently have

50+ strong talents on the team, and we support the growth of our students and recent graduates.

Tasks

Our team hosts working students and interns for 6-12 months, beginning in Spring and Autumn every year. Upon joining, you will work in tight interaction with one or more Lumiphase R&D teams. Every year, we have internships in many different areas.

*When applying please specify which project you are interested in*

For the upcoming Autumn semester, we offer the following 2 projects:

Project 1 - Silicon Photonics Electrical Testing

During this internship project, you will collaborate closely with our R&D engineers to design, build, and validate a new test setup, including custom electrical circuits and automation solutions. You will gain hands-on experience in electrical hardware design, advanced testing methodologies, and automation, engaging in both conceptual and practical lab work to advance our industry-driven R&D activities. Your daily tasks may include:

• Designing specialized test hardware: Concept and layout custom analog electrical circuits for test setups using KiCad.
• Build, integrate, and troubleshoot your newly designed electrical hardware into new test setups. You will actively test and verify your boards using standard laboratory measurement equipment.
• Define comprehensive validation strategies for your custom hardware.
• Test automation and analysis: Develop Python scripts for hardware control (e.g., automated voltage switching and sweeping), data acquisition, and analysis.
• Documentation and reporting: Maintain thorough documentation of your project activities, test results, and design decisions, and provide regular progress updates and reports to engineers and project stakeholders.

We are seeking a motivated candidate with a strong interest in silicon chip manufacturing and testing. Desired qualifications:

• Understanding of and strong interest in learning analog and power circuit design, ideally with some exposure to electrical measurement equipment.
• Familiarity with Python programming for data analysis, basic hardware communication, or implementing test routines.
• Previous experience with the following is an advantage, but not strictly required: PCB design software, version control via Git, or CAD.
• Good communication skills, team spirit, and a desire to contribute within a dynamic deep-tech startup.

Project 2 - Measurement Uncertainty Estimation for Silicon Photonics Testing

During this internship project, you will collaborate closely with R&D engineers to strengthen our data analysis and automatic test equipment validation capabilities for silicon photonics testing. The project will focus on deriving measurement uncertainties and building a scalable framework for error analysis.

You will have the chance to gain hands-on experience with our data analysis workflows and pipelines. A strong emphasis will be placed on working with real measurement data (primarily chip-level testing datasets), bridging data science with experimental physics. The project scope includes:

• Developing Python-based tools in Databricks to analyze measurement data, estimate uncertainty, and detect invalid or unreliable results.
• Defining and implementing data invalidation criteria based on statistical or physical insights.
• Creating Design of Experiments (DoE) to study variability and quantify sources of uncertainty in test methods.
• Building an equipment-independent framework for error analysis and data quality assessment.
• Supporting lab activities, including electro-optic measurements of silicon photonics integrated circuits.

We are seeking a motivated candidate with a strong interest in silicon chip testing and data analysis with:

• Currently pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Data Science, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience using Python for data analysis or scientific computing, e.g. as part of university coursework.
• Good understanding of statistics and data analysis, with an interest in variability, measurement uncertainty, and data quality.
• Enthusiasm for working with complex datasets to identify patterns, anomalies, and insights.
• Nice-to-haves: Familiarity with measurement systems or error analysis, as well as experience with data platforms and development tools such as Databricks, Azure DevOps, or similar environment

Requirements

For all projects major requirements are:

• Strong communication skills, team spirit, and a desire to contribute within a dynamic deep-tech startup.
• Interest in learning on the go and showing good adaptability.
• Patient and curious mindset.
• Completion of a Bachelor’s program in electrical engineering, applied physics, mechanical engineering, robotics or similar field (may vary depending on the project).

Please be aware that if you are a non-EU national and your internship is not mandatory as part of your university program, we will unfortunately not be able to provide visa support.

Benefits

We have developed a unique technology to bring a material with extremely strong Pockels coefficient into a scalable silicon photonics platform. Having this physical effect available in integrated photonic circuits has been a scientific and technological breakthrough, which enables the realization of advanced photonic structures and completely new applications, e.g. for photonic AI networks and quantum computing. At Lumiphase, we are bringing this new technology to market, while at the same time developing new scientific and technological concepts. The internship projects are placed at the heart of our R&D activities and will ensure that our groundbreaking semiconductor chips can realize their full performance potential with appropriate electrical, optical and mechanical integration solutions.

In addition, we provide an agile environment with plenty of opportunities for our young talents to develop their skills and ideally to become permanent team members. And we have a lot of fun together as well!

As an intern, you will also have access to a range of benefits, including:

• Participation in social & educational team events
• Accident insurance (occupational and non-occupational)
• 2nd pillar pension scheme with AXA Winterthur (BVG)
• Daily sickness allowance (KTG)
• Financial support for public transportation
• Free weekly Yoga classes held on site

Join Lumiphase's dynamic team as an intern in Silicon Photonics. Drive innovation in communication technology and contribute to a future of faster, energy-efficient networks. Apply now and make an impact!

Data traffic is exploding! At Lumiphase, we are on a mission to create the fastest and most energy-efficient communication chip the world has ever seen – to enable global IT infrastructure to handle this massive increase in data.

Our technology is built on innovative materials with incredible optical properties. The chips we build enable faster networks that consume less energy and will allow everyone to be better connected in the future.

We are a young and dynamic deep-tech startup, based in Zurich, Switzerland. Lumiphase was founded in 2020, after nearly 10 years of research within IBM. We are building a passionate team full of complementary areas of expertise, all dedicated to make this new generation of communication chips a reality on the market. We are growing rapidly, and we provide an agile environment for working at the forefront of cutting-edge technology to build products that will have a strong impact on our society.

Check out our open positions, and apply!