Senior Photonics Design Engineer

Sr. Photonics Design Engineer - Santa Clara, CA

About Xanadu: 
Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere.

At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers. We are creating something that has never been built before.  What we are doing is extremely hard, the classic moon shot. Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems and literally change the world. And that is something to be excited about!

Your role and responsibilities:
We are seeking a Senior Photonics Design Engineer to drive the design and scaling of state-of-the-art passive and active components powering Xanadu’s future 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.

Basic qualifications and experience:

• Msc or PhD in Engineering, Science, or related field, with 2+ years experience in an industrial setting
• Expert-level knowledge and experience designing passive integrated optical components including the incorporation of wafer variation
• Detailed understanding of sources of loss in photonic devices and their relation to fabrication processes
• Understanding of the tradeoff between different simulation approaches including sources of error and computational resource use
• Deep experience with scripted photonic mask design and layout
• Participated in 5+ tapeouts covering design, layout and analysis  
• Experience working in a collaborative team-based development environment, using version control systems such as git
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple competing priorities

Preferred qualifications and experience:

• Expert-level knowledge and experience in designing active integrated optical components such as Pockels effect based phase shifters, or III-V photodiodes
• Deep theoretical understanding of coupled mode interactions in the context of waveguides, resonators and nonlinear optics
• Experience in developing components and performing tapeouts with photonic foundries. Turned designs into version controlled building blocks.
• Understanding of the concepts of “Design of Experiments” and “Design Centering” applied to wafer level optimization of photonic components
• Performed statistical analysis on wafer level data using tools like JMP
• Experience developing automated optimization approaches, such as particle swarm, bayesian and adjoint method
• Incorporation of fabrication processes effects such as lithographic rounding, OPC/bias correction and material non uniformity into component optimization
• Experience in developing design rule checks (DRC) and layout vs schematics (LVS) scripts
• Experience in developing custom filler patterns and mask data preparation
• Performed electro-optic co-design of active devices such as phase shifters and photodiodes with TIAs and electrical drivers 
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This is for a new position. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and internal benchmarks. The base salary range is 160,000 - 200,000 USD. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Our values are important. They are fundamental and lay the foundation for culture at Xanadu. Learn more about our values here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We are committed to building an inclusive, safe, and equitable culture and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. We are committed to meeting the needs of all individuals and support a barrier-free workplace. Should you require accommodations at any point during the recruitment process please contact Recruiting at [email protected].

Please be advised that we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the screening and assessment of applicants for this position. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.