Senior Photonics Design Engineer

Darwin Recruitment; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment in Toronto seeks a Senior Photonics Design Engineer to drive the design and scaling of passive and active photonic components powering fault-tolerant quantum hardware, leveraging our high-throughput cloud simulation pipelines to achieve unprecedented sub-milli-dB loss targets and robust wafer-level performance.

You’ll design high-performance PIC elements, develop scripted layouts, and work with fabrication teams to optimise wafer-scale production.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics or 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.

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.

Skills

Photonic design

Passive PIC components

Mask design & layout scripting

Tapeouts

Git/version control

DOE / Statistical analysis

Education

MSc/PhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics

Job description

Senior Photonics Design Engineer | Quantum Technology

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.

What you’ll be doing:

• 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

What they’re looking for:

• 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

Bonus experience:

• 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