Photonics Fabrication and Design Engineer
Great Sky · Boulder, CO · Palo Alto, CA
Develops cryogenic photonic networks by designing passive silicon nitride photonic components and owning the prototype fabrication lifecycle. Performs hands-on device fabrication in a research cleanroom near the Boulder office and works with test, packaging and systems integration teams.
What you'll do
- Own end-to-end prototype fabrication runs in a research cleanroom
- Develop and optimize fabrication processes for photonic and superconducting devices, including SNSPDs
- Design, simulate and optimize passive SiN photonic components
- Establish SOPs and process flows into stable Processes of Record
- Maintain internal PDKs and component libraries
Requirements
- BS, MS or PhD in physics, electrical engineering, optics, materials science or related field, or equivalent practical experience
- Hands-on experience in microfabrication, nanofabrication or semiconductor processing
- Device fabrication experience on silicon photonics, silicon nitride and/or superconducting electronics
- Strong background in passive photonic component design with electromagnetic simulation software
- Understanding of photonic layout concepts, DRC and standard layout tools
Nice to have
- Experience with SNSPD fabrication
- Experience with heterogeneous or hybrid integration such as bump bonding or fusion bonding
- Experience transferring processes to external fabs or working with foundries
- Fabrication background in shared multi-user facilities such as university cleanrooms or national labs
Benefits
- Meaningful equity ownership
- Employer-matched 401(k)
- Health, dental, vision, and life insurance
- Flexible PTO
- Support for learning, conference attendance, and skill development
Skills
Outlined skills are listed as required.
Full original 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