Photonics Fabrication Process - SNSPD Nanofabrication

Job Description

Job Title: Photonics Fabrication Process Engineer, SNSPD Nanofabrication. Location: Santa Clara, California, USA

Responsibilities:

• Expand Xanadu's cleanroom capabilities by establishing superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) process development at facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

• Work with foundry partners to continuously improve integration schemes and balance competing fabrication requirements.

• Define and execute metrology and failure analysis plans to identify and mitigate failure modes and assess the results of process integration experiments.

• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure all critical detector performance metrics are met in delivered chips.

• Keep up to date with developments in photonics fabrication process development and process integration;

• Fabricate and deliver state-of-the-art SNSPD chips.

• Support efforts to improve the performance of photon-number-resolving (PNR) cryogenic detectors.

• Develop and optimize fabrication processes for photonic quantum computing hardware.

• Work with physicists and engineers as part of the Hardware Team.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Physics, Engineering, Experimental Sciences, or a related discipline.

• At least 5 years of cleanroom process development experience, with a focus on device fabrication.
• Experience operating cleanroom equipment, including:
  • Photolithography and electron-beam lithography.
  • Physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
  • Wet and plasma etching, including inductively coupled plasma reactive-ion etching (ICP RIE).
  • Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP).
• Experience with semiconductor and photonics metrology and failure analysis techniques, including some of the following:
  • Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
  • Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and defect inspection.
  • Ellipsometry and X-ray reflectometry or diffraction (XRR/XRD);
  • Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and Raman spectroscopy.

• Knowledge of optical thin-film stack metrology, characterization, and optimization.

• Experience developing cleanroom process recipes and maintaining detailed process documentation.

• Experience with statistical process control (SPC).

• Excellent communication skills.

• Experience working collaboratively in a team-based development environment.

• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment and manage competing priorities.

• Willingness and ability to travel as needed.

Preferred:

• At least 2 years of postdoctoral or industry experience in Physics, Engineering, Experimental Sciences, or a related discipline.

• Hands-on experience with CMP for planarizing thin films and multilayer device stacks.

• Experience in a semiconductor or integrated photonics foundry environment, including lot ownership and manufacturing execution systems (MES).

• Experience across the full product development lifecycle, from research and development through volume ramp-up.

• Understanding of optical detector physics, including superconducting devices.

• Experience fabricating or working with cryogenic detectors or their applications, including transition-edge sensors (TES), microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs), or SNSPDs.

• Experience coordinating with and managing external partners, including major semiconductor and photonics foundries.

• Experience coordinating with external photomask suppliers and generating photomasks from GDS files.

• Experience in photonic quantum computing hardware development.

• Experience analyzing large datasets and preparing statistical reports.

Benefits and Compensation:

• Base salary range: $130,000 to $180,000 USD per year.

• Equity eligibility.

• Employee benefits.

• Salary will depend on location, experience, and internal compensation benchmarks.

Additional Information:

• Xanadu is hiring for two positions in Santa Clara, California.

• One position will focus primarily on hands-on cleanroom work and process development;

• The second position will combine hands-on cleanroom work with coordination and communication with external foundry partners.

• Although the company is primarily seeking Photonics Fabrication Process Engineers, candidates may be considered for a Senior role if their experience and technical leadership substantially exceed the core requirements.

• Xanadu is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive, safe, equitable, and accessible workplace.