Senior Mask Design Engineer

SMART Photonics; Eindhoven; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Challenging role

High-tech environment

International team

Learning opportunities

Job summary

SMART Photonics is seeking a Senior Mask Design Engineer to drive end-to-end tape-out flows for photonic integrated circuits. You will automate scripts, modularize workflows, and contribute to tool development with the team.

You will collaborate with design enablement, process development, and IT to maintain reproducible environments and improve the overall tape-out pipeline. Strong Python/Ruby skills and DRC knowledge are essential.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Photonics or related field.
• Strong capabilities in Python and scripting.
• Experience with tape-out processes and PIC design is preferred.
• Ability to lead automation initiatives and mentor colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Execute and optimize end-to-end tape-out flows for photonic integrated circuits.
• Automate, modularize, and harden scripts for the mask engineering team.
• Develop and maintain Python and Ruby scripts; build reusable toolkits.
• Establish CI validation and reproducible environments for tape-out workflows.

Skills

Python

Ruby

Git

KLayout

Nazca

GDS-II

CI/CD pipelines

Education

MSc or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Photonics

Tools

Python

GDS-II

KLayout

Nazca

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Mask Design Engineer with deep technical expertise to operate at the interface of technology and customer needs.

Meet the Team

Our Design Enablement team bridges process development, device design, and PIC circuit designers. We provide the tools, methodologies, and services that enable our customers to translate their concepts into manufacturable PICs.

You will work in a team of 10 motivated and eager Engineers, and report to the Cluster Lead and Principal Scientist.

Purpose of the Role

Execute and improve the end-to-end tape-out flow for SMART Photonics' photonic integrated circuit platforms.

Your main role is to run tape-outs, understand the full post-processing chain, and own your deliverables. But there’s a special task that differentiates the one of a Mask Design Engineer! You will be responsible to automate, modularize, and harden the scripts and workflows you and your colleagues use every day.

You don't build infrastructure for the team, you build it with the team, raising the automation capability of the entire mask engineering group while keeping your own hands in the tape-out work.

Key Responsibilities

Tape-Out Execution

• Perform full tape-outs: super-cell creation, PCM cell generation, layer post-processing, GDS validation, and mask ordering

• Prepare and validate GDS files for mask production

• Conduct Design Rule Checks (DRC) and ensure compliance with manufacturing rules.

Post-Processing Script Development

• Develop, refactor, and maintain the Python and ruby based scripts

• Make scripts that are modular, reusable, and platform-independent

• Build supporting tooling for the tape out flow or users of our mask sets

Automation & Infrastructure Improvement

• Identify repetitive, error-prone, or manual steps in the tape-out flow and automate them

• Set up and maintain CI validation for post-processing outputs (regression against platform reference files)

• Establish reproducible development environments for tape-out scripting

• Introduce automated checks for steps that currently rely on manual verification

• Contribute to repository structure, naming conventions, and Git workflow standards

• Ensure every automated solution is understood, documented, and maintainable by the team, not just by you

Collaboration & Reporting

• Review code from colleagues (quality, correctness, maintainability)

• Collaborate with process integration, R&D, metrology, and procurement different projects

• Coordinate with EDA, PDK and IT engineers on environment, tooling, and access topics

• MSc or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Photonics, or a related field’

• 7 + years (post-master's) OR 5 + years (post-PhD) of experience in a photonics foundry, PIC design house, EDA provider or customer-facing design enablement role.

• Strong communicator, confident, and able to influence, build trust, and support leadership when needed.

• Proactive learner who embraces new methods, tools, and industry best practices.

• Leadership potential: able to own projects independently, drive departmental initiatives, and mentor colleagues.

• High quality mindset with attention to details.

• Proficiency in Python and/or Ruby

• Working knowledge of Git and version control workflows

• Familiarity with GDS-II file format and layout tools (KLayout, Nazca, or similar)

• A natural tendency to automate repetitive work, the kind of person who runs a manual process twice and then scripts it

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a semiconductor or photonic foundry environment

• Understanding of DRC concepts and layer-based processing

• Exposure to EDA tools (Synopsys OptoDesigner, Ansys Lumerical, or similar)

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines

Tools & Technologies

Python, KLayout, Gitea/Git, GDS-II, CI/CD pipelines, Nazca

We offer:

• Competitive salary, to be aligned with Recruiter on the first interview.

• A challenging and impactful role within a fast‑growing high‑tech environment.

• State‑of‑the‑art photonic technologies and advanced modelling tools.

• A highly passionate, international team of experts in photonics and semiconductor technology.

• Tailored learning and development opportunities: training, coaching, and on‑the‑job growth.