Active Alignment & NPI Process Development Engineer

Job Title

Active Alignment & NPI Process Development Engineer

Role Summary

Develop, qualify, and transfer optical alignment and assembly processes from prototype through NPI and volume manufacturing for photonic products. Own equipment buyoff/qualification, epoxy dispensing and curing processes, and process documentation to enable reliable production ramps.

Work within a cross-functional manufacturing and R&D team focused on photonics for high-performance computing interconnects.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in optical active alignment, NPI, or process development for photonic devices or transceivers.

Responsibilities

Accountable for process development, qualification, and transfer activities that establish robust manufacturing for photonic assemblies.

• Lead manufacturing process development from prototype and engineering builds through NPI qualification and volume production.
• Develop and optimize optical assembly processes including active and passive alignment, epoxy dispensing, curing, and optical coupling.
• Define critical process parameters, critical-to-quality characteristics, process windows, acceptance criteria, and manufacturing specifications.
• Plan and execute DOE, process characterization, tolerance studies, and process optimization to establish robust processes.
• Evaluate process capability and manufacturing performance using yield metrics, Cp/Cpk, GR&R, and other statistical methods.
• Support prototype, EVT/DVT/PVT, pilot, qualification, and production ramp builds; perform root-cause analysis on failures and yield excursions.
• Drive manufacturing yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, process simplification, and cost reduction during ramp.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, including work instructions, SOPs, PFMEA, Control Plans, and qualification reports.
• Lead manufacturing process transfer to internal factories, suppliers, or contract manufacturers and establish process controls and monitoring.
• Collaborate with product, mechanical design, equipment suppliers, quality, and manufacturing teams on DFM/DFA and process issues.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience for immediate contribution.

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in optical active alignment for transceivers or related photonic devices, or in NPI/process development.
• Hands-on experience developing and optimizing active alignment processes and automated alignment sequences/algorithms.
• Familiarity with optical components and assemblies (FAU, lenses, isolators, PICs, PD, laser) and optical coupling techniques.
• Experience with active alignment equipment development, setup, buyoff, qualification, and production deployment.
• Strong understanding of motion stages, controllers, optical power meters, laser sources, cameras, sensors, and precision mechanical systems.
• Knowledge of epoxy dispensing, adhesive bonding, UV and thermal curing, and related material/process characteristics.
• Experience with equipment control, automation, fixture and tooling development for precision optical assembly.
• Demonstrated NPI process development skills including DOE, SPC, process capability analysis (Cp/Cpk), GR&R, and yield analysis.
• Familiarity with PFMEA, Control Plans, SOPs, work instructions, process specifications, and manufacturing qualification documentation.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical problem-solving skills, and ability to work across R&D, manufacturing, suppliers, and quality teams.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering, Physics, Optics/Photonics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

About the Company

Company: Lumilens

Headquarters: San Jose, CA, USA

Lumilens develops integrated photonics and optical interconnect solutions for high-speed data communication and chip-to-chip interfaces, focusing on optical front-end hardware and co-packaged optics for advanced semiconductor systems.