Photonics Fabrication and Design Engineer

Great Sky, Inc.; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity ownership

Employer-matched 401(k)

Health, dental, vision, and life

Flexible PTO

Learning and conference support

Job summary

Great Sky, Inc. in Boulder, CO seeks a Photonics Fabrication and Design Engineer to own end-to-end prototype fabrication in a research cleanroom and drive photonic and superconducting device workflows.

You will design SiN passive components, optimize fabrication processes, contribute to PDk libraries, and collaborate with test and systems teams to accelerate design-build-test-learn cycles for scalable hardware.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in physics, electrical engineering, optics, materials science, or related field.
• Hands-on microfabrication or nanofabrication experience.
• Experience on silicon photonics, silicon nitride, or superconducting electronics.
• Proficiency with EM simulation tools such as Ansys Lumerical or Tidy3D.
• Familiarity with photonic layout and DRC concepts and tools.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end prototype fabrication runs in a research cleanroom.
• Develop, optimize manufacturable fabrication processes for integrated photonic and superconducting devices.
• Design, simulate and optimize passive SiN photonic components (grating couplers, splitters, mode converters, edge couplers, optical I/O).
• Establish SOPs and Processes of Record; contribute to PDk libraries.
• Collaborate with test, packaging, and systems teams to correlate device performance with fabrication metrics.

Skills

Hands-on microfabrication

Prototype fabrication

Device performance analysis

Education

BS, MS or PhD in physics, electrical engineering, optics, materials science, or related field

Tools

Ansys Lumerical

Tidy3D

KLayout

Luceda

Cadence

Job description

About Us

Great Sky is a technology startup based with a mission to rebuild AI from first principles. We are pursuing neuroscience-inspired hardware and algorithms that overcome the greatest challenges in scaling AI systems.

Job Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated Photonics Fabrication and Design Engineer to develop the cryogenic photonic networks central to our technology platform. In this role, you will contribute to the design of SiN-based passive photonic components and take full ownership of the R&D prototyping lifecycle. You will perform hands‑on device fabrication at a cleanroom facility located near our Boulder office. This is a high‑ownership position with substantial influence on the pace and direction of our hardware development.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end prototype fabrication runs in a research cleanroom environment.

• Develop, execute, and optimize manufacturable fabrication processes for integrated photonic devices and superconducting devices, including SNSPDs.

• Design, simulate and optimize passive silicon nitride (SiN) photonic components such as (e.g., grating couplers, splitters, mode converters, edge couplers and optical I/O).

• Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) and process flows into stable Processes of Record (POR).

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of internal Process Design Kits (PDKs) and component libraries.

• Work closely with test, packaging, and systems integration teams to correlate device performance with fabrication metrics, accelerating our design-build-test-learn cycles.

Qualifications & Skills

Required:

• BS, MS or PhD in physics, electrical engineering, optics, materials science, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.

• Hands‑on experience in microfabrication, nanofabrication, or semiconductor processing.

• Experience with fabricating devices on at least one of these platforms: silicon photonics, silicon nitride, and/or superconducting electronics.

• Strong background in passive photonic component design with proficiency in industry‑standard electromagnetic simulation software (e.g., Ansys Lumerical, Tidy3D).

• Solid understanding of photonic layout concepts, Design Rule Checking (DRC), and familiarity with standard layout tools (e.g., KLayout, Luceda, Cadence).

Preferred:

• Experience with SNSPD fabrication.

• Experience with heterogeneous or hybrid integration methods such as bump bonding or fusion bonding.

• Experience transferring processes to external fabs or working with foundries.

• Previous fabrication background utilizing shared, multi‑user facilities such as university cleanrooms, national laboratories, or advanced commercial R&D centers.

Benefits and Perks

• Meaningful equity ownership in an early‑stage deep tech company

• Employer-matched 401(k)

• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance

• Flexible PTO

• Support for ongoing learning, conference attendance, and skill development

Our culture is onsite by default (we're founded by scientists who are used to working in the lab), with flexibility for hybrid arrangements. For the right person and role, we're open to filling roles remotely