Optical Engineer 3

Job Title

Optical Engineer 3

Role Summary

Design and develop advanced optical systems for semiconductor metrology products. Work within a multidisciplinary team (systems, software, electrical, mechanical, and algorithm engineers) to deliver imaging, illumination, and spectroscopic measurement solutions that meet system-level performance requirements.

Experience Level

Mid-level - typically requires around 5+ years of relevant optical engineering experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include designing, validating, and transferring optical subsystems into production.

• Design and develop optical architectures for imaging, spectroscopy, scatterometry, and ellipsometry applications.
• Define component specifications, tolerances, and optical performance budgets.
• Model and simulate optical systems (e.g., Zemax, CODE V, FRED, LightTools) and analyze image quality, polarization, SNR, stray light, aberrations, and throughput.
• Develop and optimize illumination, collection, and imaging channels for measurement and pattern-recognition tasks.
• Support prototype assembly: optical alignment, calibration, integration, and lab characterization.
• Plan and run experiments to validate subsystem performance and correlate measurements to requirements.
• Troubleshoot and resolve optical performance issues during development, manufacturing, or field deployment.
• Collaborate with suppliers to specify and qualify lenses, filters, light sources, detectors, gratings, and other components.
• Document designs and test results and participate in technical design reviews to support transfer to manufacturing.

Requirements

Must-have qualifications and skills.

• Minimum ~5 years of hands-on experience in optical-system design and analysis for precision instrumentation.
• Strong knowledge of geometric and physical optics, polarization, imaging systems, and radiometry.
• Practical experience with optical modeling and simulation tools such as Zemax, CODE V, FRED, or equivalent.
• Experience with laboratory optical alignment, characterization, calibration, and troubleshooting.
• Ability to analyze optical performance metrics (image quality, SNR, stray light, aberrations) and translate findings into design changes.
• Good technical writing and verbal communication skills; ability to produce test plans and engineering documentation.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers and supporting transfer of designs into manufacturing.
• May require U.S. export licensing review for applicants who are not U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, or other protected persons under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Nice-to-have: experience with pattern-recognition imaging systems, ellipsometry/scatterometry instrument design, and familiarity with spectroscopic measurement channels.

Education Requirements

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline. The posting pairs these degree credentials with a typical experience expectation of 5+ years of related industry experience.

About the Company

Company: Onto Innovation

Headquarters: Wilmington, MA, United States

Onto Innovation develops process-control solutions for the semiconductor industry, offering optical inspection, 3D metrology, defect inspection, composition analysis, factory analytics, and lithography technologies to improve yield, performance, and reliability across the semiconductor value chain.