Senior Staff Integration Engineer

SkyWater Technology, Inc.; BLOOMINGTON (MN); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

SkyWater Technology, Inc. invites a Senior Staff Integration Engineer to join the quantum photonics hardware team, bridging wafer-level fabrication with functional quantum photonic devices for networking, sensing, and computing.

The role blends process engineering, device physics, systems integration and photonic platform creation. The ideal candidate will lead HH/III-V-on-silicon integration, develop high-speed modulators, and work across design, packaging, and test teams to ensure

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Electrical, Materials, Chemical, Physics, Optical Eng or related field.
• Experience with cleanroom fabrication tools (lithography, etch, deposition, CMP, metrology).
• US Citizenship required for government security clearance.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a large cross-functional program environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize fabrication process flows for wafer-level manufacturing of low-loss photonic waveguides.
• Lead or support III-V-on-silicon (or III-V-on-photonics) heterogeneous/hybrid integration efforts.
• Develop, characterize and integrate high-speed electro-optic modulators into photonic circuits.
• Support integration of components relevant to quantum applications: single-photon sources/detectors, or cryogenic-compatible photonics.
• Collaborate with process integration teams to troubleshoot yield, optical loss, and reliability issues across the fab flow.
• Document process recipes, integration flows, and failure analysis for internal knowledge transfer and process control.
• Collaborate with CAD engineers to validate incoming layout files, constructing frames with essential metrology boxes and electrical test structures.
• Implement data collection schemes and collaborate with process and tool experts to formulate effective process recipes.
• Design and conduct experiments to validate and optimize process recipes.
• Liaise with the failure analysis lab to submit samples for cross-sectioning, contributing to continuous improvement.
• Monitor customer material and proactively address processing issues, ensuring a smooth workflow.
• Conduct regular meetings with customers, providing updates on project progress as materials move through the production line.
• Deliver process reviews with the goal of transitioning the device to full-scale production.

Education

BS in Electrical Eng

MS in Electrical Eng

PhD in related field

Tools

Lumerical

COMSOL

MEEP

PDKs

Job description

In the Advanced Technology Services (ATS) group at SkyWater, our team works hand in hand with customers to develop a wide range of exciting new, novel, and fully customized technologies - including superconducting ICs, quantum computing devices, carbon nanotube devices, MEMs, Bio sensors, DNA sequencing devices, Si photonics, and III-V devices.

We are seeking a Senior Staff Integration Engineer to join our quantum photonics hardware team, working on the fabrication and integration of photonic devices in a semiconductor foundry environment. This role sits at the intersection of process engineering, device physics, systems integration and photonic platform creation — bridging wafer-level fabrication with functional quantum photonic hardware for networking, sensing, and computing applications.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and optimize fabrication process flows for wafer level manufacturing of low-loss photonic waveguides, ensuring seamless execution
• Lead or support III-V-on-silicon (or III-V-on-photonics) heterogeneous/hybrid integration efforts
• Develop, characterize and integrate high-speed electro-optic modulators into photonic circuits
• Support integration of components relevant to quantum applications: single-photon sources/detectors, or cryogenic-compatible photonics
• Collaborate with process integration teams to troubleshoot yield, optical loss, and reliability issues across the fab flow
• Develop test and characterization methodologies for waveguide loss, modulator bandwidth, coupling efficiency, and device-level quantum metrics
• Interface with cross-functional teams (customer, design, process, packaging, test) to ensure manufacturability of quantum photonic devices
• Document process recipes, integration flows, and failure analysis for internal knowledge transfer and process control
• Collaborate with CAD engineers to validate incoming layout files, constructing frames with essential metrology boxes and electrical test structures.
• Implement data collection schemes and collaborate with process and tool experts to formulate effective process recipes.
• Design and conduct experiments to validate and optimize process recipes.
• Liaise with the failure analysis lab to submit samples for cross-sectioning, contributing to continuous improvement.
• Monitor customer material and proactively address processing issues, ensuring a smooth workflow.
• Conduct regular meetings with customers, providing updates on project progress as materials move through the production line.
• Deliver process reviews with the goal of transitioning the device to full-scale production.

Required Qualifications:

• BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Eng, Materials Science, Chemical Eng, Physics, Optical Engineering or related discipline
• Experience with cleanroom fabrication tools (lithography, etch, deposition, CMP, metrology)
• BS and 7 years or MS and 5 years or PhD and 2-3 years of engineering experience in a semiconductor fab or lab environment.
• Basic knowledge of semiconductor fabrication and equipment.
• Strong organizational skills and work ethic.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a large cross-functional program environment.
• US Citizenship Required: This position will require the holding of or ability to obtain government security clearance which requires U.S Citizenship.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in a related field.
• Research experience in materials used in semiconductor manufacturing.
• Exposure to various aspects of semiconductor manufacturing processes.
• Experience with foundry-scale (200mm/300mm) photonic process design kits (PDKs)
• Hands-on experience with photonic integrated circuit (PIC) fabrication in a cleanroom/fab environment
• Demonstrated experience with low-loss waveguide fabrication (etch processes, cladding deposition, propagation loss reduction techniques)
• Strong understanding of optical characterization techniques (loss measurement, spectral characterization)
• Experience with III-V integration techniques: wafer bonding, die attach, epitaxial lift-off, or heterogeneous integration
• Familiarity with high-speed modulator design, fabrication, or characterization (RF/electro-optic co-design a plus)
• Working knowledge of quantum photonics principles as applied to at least one of: quantum networking, quantum sensing, or quantum computing
• Familiarity with cryogenic packaging or testing for quantum hardware
• Experience with single-photon detectors (SNSPDs, APDs) or photon-pair sources
• Background in RF/microwave engineering for modulator driver integration
• Publication record or patents in integrated photonics, quantum optics, or related fields
• Experience with simulation tools (Lumerical, COMSOL, MEEP, or similar) for waveguide/device design
• Prior work in a semiconductor fab or foundry environment