Photonics Fabrication Engineer (Santa Barbara)

Xanadu; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Xanadu in Santa Barbara, CA is seeking an entry-level Photonics Fabrication Process Engineer to join the Fabrication Process Engineering team. You will help advance thin-film lithium niobate photonics, collaborating with physicists and engineers to optimize devices and metrology for electro-optic modulators.

Ideal candidates hold a PhD or a Master’s with 3+ years cleanroom experience and are proficient in photolithography, deposition, etching, and device metrology.

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics, Engineering, Experimental Sciences or related area with focus on device fabrication, OR a Master’s plus 3+ years cleanroom experience.
• Experience operating cleanroom tools: photolithography, deposition (PVD/CVD), wet & plasma etching (RIE/ICP), and characterization (XRR/XRD/SEM/AFM/Raman/ellipsometry).
• Knowledge of birefringent thin-film stack metrology and optimization.
• Experience developing cleanroom recipes and thorough documentation.
• Experience with statistical process control.
• Ability to work in a team and manage multiple priorities.
• Experience with Python, GitHub, JMP, MATLAB, etc.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to development and optimization of process modules for integrated photonic devices from thin-film lithium niobate.
• Design and execute fabrication process improvement experiments and analyze inline data.
• Define metrology and failure analysis plans to identify failure modes and assess results.
• Challenge state-of-the-art performance metrics in integrated photonics fabrication.
• Stay updated on new photonics fabrication developments and apply learnings.

Skills

Data analysis

Python

MATLAB

GitHub

JMP

Team collaboration

Autonomy

Travel availability

Education

PhD or Master in related field

Tools

Photolithography

PVD

CVD

RIE

ICP

XRR/XRD

SEM

AFM

Raman spectroscopy

Ellipsometry

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:

As an entry-level Photonics Fabrication Process Engineer based in Santa Barbara, CA, you will work within the Fabrication Process Engineering team to deliver Xanadu’s photonic quantum computing hardware. You will collaborate with our established team of physicists and engineers to support existing efforts to improve the performance of thin-film-lithium-niobate (TFLN) waveguides and electro-optic modulators. In this role, you will contribute your experience spanning cleanroom fabrication, thin-film characterization, and metrology, while interfacing with internal stakeholders to understand critical performance requirements for electro-optic modulator technologies.

• Contribute to the development and optimization of process modules used to build integrated photonic devices from thin film lithium niobate.
• Design and execute fabrication process improvement experiments, including defining fabrication splits, gathering, and analyzing inline data.
• Define and execute metrology and failure analysis plans to identify and mitigate failure modes and assess results of process optimization experiments.
• Challenge the state-of-the-art in key performance metrics associated with integrated photonics fabrication.
• Stay abreast of new developments in the field of photonics fabrication process development and rapidly implement new learnings and discoveries.

Basic qualifications and experience:

• PhD in Physics, Engineering, Experimental Sciences, or related relevant discipline with a focus on device fabrication, OR a Master's degree with 3+ years of cleanroom process development experience.
• Experience in the operation of cleanroom tools including photolithography, deposition (PVD, CVD), wet & plasma etching (RIE, ICP), and characterization (e.g., XRR/XRD, SEM, AFM, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence, ellipsometry, etc.).
• Knowledge of birefringent thin film stack metrology, characterization, and optimization.
• Experience developing cleanroom recipes and maintaining detailed process documentation.
• Experience with statistical process control.
• Experience working in a collaborative team-based development environment.
• Ability to operate autonomously in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple competing priorities.
• Experience with data analysis and related software, such as Python, GitHub, JMP, MATLAB, etc.
• Availability for travel required (≤ 20% travel time).

Preferred qualifications and experience:

• Experience in integrated photonics (familiarity with passive and active photonic components, such as waveguides, modulators, switches, beamsplitters, resonators, MZIs, etc.).
• Demonstrated track record of achieving low loss in integrated photonic components through fabrication process development.
• Experience designing photonic components, including performing device simulations and layout.
• Experience with large dataset analysis and statistical reporting.

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 130,000 - 150,000 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.