Principal PIC Design Engineer

An exciting opportunity for a Principal PIC Design Engineer to take a leading role developing next-generation visible-light photonic integrated circuits for advanced precision and nanoscale technologies. You’ll own devices from first-principles simulation and PIC design through cleanroom fabrication to measured silicon, with significant influence over the technical direction of the photonics platform. The role - Design visible-light PICs including waveguides, couplers, MMIs, MZIs, resonators and subwavelength structures - Develop fibre-to-chip coupling and interfaces for heterogeneously integrated lasers and photodetectors - Perform FDTD, eigenmode and propagation simulations - Take designs through layout, fabrication and characterisation - Work hands-on with e-beam lithography, ICP-RIE, thin-film deposition and evaporation - Characterise optical thin films and fabricated photonic devices - Use Python to automate simulations, parameter sweeps and data analysis - Help define the technical direction of the photonics platform Your background - Strong hands-on PIC/waveguide design experience, ideally at visible wavelengths - Experience with Lumerical/FDTD and photonic simulation - Strong passive photonics knowledge, including couplers and resonant devices - Hands-on cleanroom and nanofabrication experience - Understanding of heterogeneous integration and mode matching - Experience with optical characterisation and thin-film processes - Python skills; KLayout, GDSFactory or IPKISS advantageous A rare opportunity to combine advanced PIC design, visible photonics and hands-on nanofabrication, taking technology from simulation all the way through to fabricated and characterised devices while helping shape a new photonics platform.