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.

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.

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

• 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.

During this internship project, you will study, measure, and analyze parameters of the epitaxial thin films using X-ray diffraction and light scattering. The results allow a better understanding of the functional properties of our devices. Your daily tasks may include:

• 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 environments.

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.