Senior Photonics Design Engineer

We are seeking a Senior Photonics Design Engineer to drive the design and scaling of state-of-the-art passive and active components powering fault-tolerant quantum hardware. Leveraging our custom high-throughput cloud simulation pipelines, you will develop and execute novel component design strategies to achieve unprecedented sub-milli-dB loss targets. You will engage with our Fabrication, Tooling and Test teams to manage complex performance trade-offs, executing sophisticated DOEs, and deploying data-driven analysis to close the design loop from initial concept to high-volume wafer production.

Responsibilities

Design high-performance passive and active photonic components, targeting ultra-low-loss performance; Develop scripted photonic layouts and contribute to multiple tapeouts; Work closely with fabrication, tooling and test teams to optimise designs for wafer-level production; Use DOE, statistical analysis and automated optimisation to improve component performance; Build the feedback loop between simulation, fabrication and experimental data

Requirements

MSc or PhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics or a related field; 2+ years of industry experience in photonic design; Strong experience designing passive PIC components and accounting for wafer/fabrication variation; Deep understanding of photonic loss mechanisms and fabrication processes; Strong experience with scripted mask design and layout; 5+ photonic tapeouts covering design, layout and analysis; Experience with Git/version control and collaborative engineering environments

Nice to have

Active photonic components such as Pockels-effect phase shifters or III-V photodiodes; Photonic foundry processes and reusable/version-controlled PDK building blocks; DOE, design centering and wafer-level optimisation; JMP or similar statistical analysis tools; Automated optimisation techniques such as Bayesian, particle swarm or adjoint optimisation; DRC/LVS, OPC/bias correction and mask data preparation; Electro-optic co-design with TIAs and electrical drivers