Senior Design Engineer - Integrated Photonics

The salary range for this position is $107,123 - $140,251.

We are looking for a Senior Design Engineer, Integrated Photonics and in this role, you’ll be part of a cross-functional team whose mission is to lead IonQ on its journey to build the world’s best quantum computers to solve the world’s most complex problems. In this role, you will focus primarily on developing and utilizing software and techniques for the design, simulation, and optimization of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for use in trapped-ion quantum computer systems. You will also have the opportunity to work with atomic physicists to innovate the trapped-ion quantum computer utilizing integrated photonics.  The design workflows and PIC-based systems you design, build, and use will help drive the overall development of a new and game-changing photonics technology to enable scalable quantum computing.  

Responsibilities:

• Design, simulate, and optimize photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for integration into trapped-ion quantum computing systems
• Develop integrated photonics designs that improve device performance and insensitivity to fabrication variation
• Optimize PIC simulations to minimize computational resources and speed up the design workflow
• Use device characterization data as feedback to design and fabrication to improve PIC performance
• Contribute to building up the design workflow and maintain high-quality, scalable, well-tested scripts through architecture and code reviews
• Effectively self-manage projects, priorities, deadlines, and deliverables
• Identify, track, and mitigate execution roadblocks and technical risks
• Provide clear, concise communication to management and team members

You’d be a good fit with: 

• Ph.D. in engineering or related field
• 5+ years of experience in the design and hands-on characterization of PICs and photonic devices
• 3+ years of programming experience in a general-purpose programming language (like Python, Matlab, etc.)
• Experience with simulations of integrated-photonic devices via Lumerical, COMSOL, Flexcompute, or similar
• Experience with scripted mask design and layout for PICs
• Experience designing, building, and using optical testing infrastructure, including automated testing systems
• Strong data processing, visualization, and organizational skills
• Familiarity with fabrication processes and design constraints for PICs
• Empathy: you'll work closely with our internal team of physicists and test engineers who depend on the PIC design

You’d be a great fit if you also have the following: 

• 7+ years of PIC design and characterization experience
• 3+ years of industry experience
• Experience with optimization algorithms for automated PIC design
• Experience working with visible-light laser sources and on-chip components
• Strong programming skills for mask layout and experimental automation software, and experience with version control systems such as git
• Experience using 3D CAD tools like Autodesk Inventor or Solidworks
• Experience with Design for Manufacturing (DFM) to design components by considering the fabrication influences, such as width bias, rounded shape due to optical lithography, geometry variation because of device density, etc.

Location:

This position can be located as remote or hybrid. IonQ's bright, airy offices are located in College Park, MD and Bothell, WA.