Photonics AI Engineer - Layout & Verification - Santa Clara, CA

Xanadu; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Xanadu is hiring a Photonics AI Engineer to own layout and physical verification for fast-paced photonic circuit tapeouts. You will convert schematics into verified, tapeout-ready layouts and build agentic AI tools to automate generation, verification, and DOE/testing structures.

The role requires strong Python skills, experience with gdsfactory/IPKISS/KLayout, GDSII/OASIS, and end-to-end tapeout ownership from PDK to mask set. Equity and benefits accompany base salary.

Qualifications

• BSc in Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Strong Python skills with testing and version control.
• Experience with layout automation and photonic mask design.

Responsibilities

• Own GDS/OASIS mask layout end to end for test structures, path-finding vehicles, and production tapeouts.
• Translate schematics into verified device layouts using scripted frameworks.
• Own tapeout flow from PDK to tapeout with fast, repeatable processes.
• Build automated routing, floorplanning, and tooling for large-scale photonic circuits.
• Manage physical verification: DRC, LVS, and netlist integrity with custom decks.
• Develop agentic AI tooling for layout and verification and tapeout review packaging.
• Oversee tapeout process including reticle floorplan and sign-off criteria.
• Design test structures and on-chip monitors to answer design questions.
• Collaborate with designers, fabrication and test engineers to align with process capability.

Skills

AI tooling

Tapeouts ownership

Python

GDSII/OASIS

GDS layout automation

GDSII workflows

IPKISS

gdsfactory

KLayout

PDK familiarity

Education

BSc in Engineering/Physics

MSc/PhD in Engineering/Physics

Tools

gdsfactory

IPKISS

KLayout

GDSII/OASIS

Job description

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 looking for a Photonics AI Engineer to own layout and physical verification on a fast-paced path-finding team at Xanadu. You will take validated components and circuit schematics and turn them into functional, verified, tapeout-ready devices: full reticles, test structures, and process-monitor vehicles, on both MPW shuttles and dedicated full mask sets.

This happens at a cadence that only holds up if the work is automated, so you will build the generation, verification, and agentic AI tooling that gets us there.

You will:

• Own GDS/OASIS mask layout end to end for test structures, path-finding vehicles, and production tapeouts.
• Translate circuit schematics and component libraries into hierarchical, verified device layouts using scripted layout frameworks.
• Own the path from PDK to tapeout, keeping the flow from released building blocks to a signed-off mask set fast and repeatable.
• Build automated routing, floorplanning, and assembly tooling for large-scale photonic circuits, targeting minimum routing loss and footprint.
• Own physical verification: DRC, LVS, connectivity and netlist integrity, custom rule decks, and mask data preparation.
• Build agentic AI tooling for layout and verification: generating and refactoring layout code, triaging DRC violations, generating test-structure and DOE arrays, reconciling schematics against layout, and assembling tapeout review packages.
• Own the tapeout process itself, including reticle floorplan, checklists, sign-off criteria, and submission to foundry partners.
• Design test structures and on-chip monitors so the returning wafer answers the questions the design team actually asked.
• Work closely with component designers, fabrication engineers, and test engineers to keep layout practice aligned with process capability.

At Xanadu, we primarily work with Python, scripted layout frameworks such as gdsfactory and IPKISS, GitHub, Docker, cloud compute, and agentic AI tools. Proficiency in these technologies is essential.

Basic qualifications and experience:

• Fluency with modern AI tooling in your day-to-day work (coding agents, LLM-driven automation, or agentic pipelines), and a track record of building your own tools.
• Participated in multiple tapeouts with direct ownership of layout, verification, and sign-off.
• Enthusiasm for adopting new AI capabilities quickly and reshaping your own workflow around them.
• Interest in applying ML/AI to design automation problems; prior hands-on experience in any domain is a plus.
• BSc in Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Strong experience with scripted photonic mask design and layout using gdsfactory, IPKISS, KLayout, or similar.
• Experience generating production layout in GDSII/OASIS for dedicated full mask sets.
• Solid experience with physical verification, including DRC and LVS with foundry-provided and custom rule decks.
• Experience working from a PDK or a library of reusable layout building blocks.
• Strong Python skills, including testing, code review, and version control.
• Attention to detail combined with the judgement to know which checks matter under schedule pressure.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with hard external deadlines.

Preferred qualifications and experience:

• MSc or PhD in Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Experience building agentic systems or AI tooling for a technical domain.
• Experience applying LLMs or ML/AI to EDA-adjacent problems such as layout generation, verification triage, or design-data extraction.
• Experience with automated routing or placement for large-scale photonic integrated circuits.
• Experience with mask data preparation, custom filler patterns, and multi-layer reticle floorplanning.
• Experience with schematic-driven layout and photonic circuit simulation.
• Experience coordinating tapeouts with foundry partners.
• Familiarity with quantum photonics or quantum computing hardware.

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 - 210,000 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 [e-mail].

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.