Optical System Design Lead

Job Title

Optical System Design Lead

Role Summary

Lead the development and transfer of assembly and packaging manufacturing processes for silicon photonics products. This is a hands-on engineering role focused on creating robust, scalable, and cost-effective production processes and qualifying them with contract manufacturing partners.

The role acts as the technical authority for assembly and packaging techniques (die bond, wire bond, fiber attach, optical alignment) and works closely with design and manufacturing partners to enable high-volume manufacturing.

Experience Level

Senior (lead-level). The posting specifies a minimum of 5+ years in NPI or process engineering within semiconductor, electronics, or photonics packaging; position implies leadership and ownership of process development and HVM ramp.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include hands-on process development, scale-up, and technical transfer to manufacturing partners.

• Develop, characterize, and optimize assembly processes: precision die bonding, wire bonding, optical alignment, and related wafer-level processing.
• Design and qualify processes and equipment with a plan for ramping to high-volume manufacturing (HVM); define equipment specs and fixtures.
• Implement and manage Statistical Process Control (SPC); use DOE and Cp/Cpk analysis to monitor process health and improve yield.
• Serve as subject-matter expert for Silicon Photonics assembly challenges (fiber attach, thermal management, high-density interconnects).
• Provide Design for Manufacturability (DFM) feedback to design teams to ensure products are manufacturable at scale.
• Lead root-cause analysis for yield excursions and implement corrective/preventive actions.
• Create manufacturing documentation: work instructions, control plans, PFMEAs; lead technical transfer to contract manufacturers.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and practical experience for the role; preferred items noted separately.

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in process engineering or NPI within semiconductor, electronics, or photonics packaging.
• Direct experience developing and sustaining assembly processes: precision die bond, wire bond, optical alignment, and wafer-level processing.
• Hands-on experience with Silicon Photonics device assembly and packaging processes.
• Proficiency applying SPC and Design of Experiments (DOE) to manufacturing problems.
• Experience specifying, sourcing, and qualifying automated or semi-automated manufacturing equipment and custom tooling.
• Track record of process documentation and transferring processes to contract manufacturers for production.
• Strong root-cause analysis skills and experience implementing corrective and preventive actions to improve yield.
• Preferred (nice-to-have): deep materials expertise (epoxies, solders), experience with statistical tools (JMP, Minitab), and experience managing or working with offshore contract manufacturers.

Education Requirements

Minimum: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related technical field. Preferred: Master's degree or PhD in a relevant technical discipline. (Education requirements were stated explicitly in the posting.)

About the Company

Company: Xscape Photonics

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States

Developer of integrated photonics solutions and instrumentation, specializing in photonic circuits, control systems, and test methodologies for optical communication and sensing applications. Works on device integration, control algorithms, and validation of photonic hardware and firmware.