Optical Systems Engineer
fab2Job Title
Optical Systems Engineer
Role Summary
Join the Precision Team to design, prototype, and advance precision optical and optomechanical systems used for lithography, metrology, and motion control. This is a hands-on role focused on rapid prototyping, bench alignment, testing, and integrating custom and off-the-shelf components.
Employment and final offers are contingent on the applicant's ability to comply with U.S. export control requirements.
Experience Level
Mid-level - typically 3+ years of industry experience designing and implementing optical systems.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include designing, building, and validating optical systems and the associated mechanical components.
- Design, prototype, and develop precision optical and optomechanical components and systems.
- Build, align, and test optical systems on the bench; perform interferometry and wavefront-error measurements.
- Perform optical performance modeling, tolerance analysis, Monte Carlo yield prediction, and stray light analysis.
- Integrate off-the-shelf products such as motion stages and metrology equipment into systems.
- Work with suppliers to source components and manage custom optics fabrication.
- Design lens mounting components and optomechanical interfaces.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and experience required to perform the role.
- 3+ years industry experience designing and implementing optical systems.
- Proficiency in optical design and analysis: first-order layout, aberration theory, tolerance analysis.
- Experience with Zemax or similar optical simulation tools (sequential and non-sequential ray tracing).
- Hands-on optical alignment and testing experience, including interferometry and troubleshooting.
- Mechanical 3D CAD experience for optomechanical design.
- Portfolio demonstrating systems you have built is normally required.
Preferred (nice-to-have):
- Precision machine design fundamentals: exact-constraint design, kinematic couplings, flexures, error budgeting.
- Modeling how mechanical deflection and thermal drift affect optical performance.
- Experience with UV/DUV wavelengths, materials, coatings, and contamination constraints.
- Experience at early-stage startups; familiarity with firmware, controls, or electrical engineering.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree or higher in Optical Engineering, Optical Sciences, Physics, or Mechanical Engineering with demonstrated optical design work.
About the Company
Company: fab2
Headquarters: Austin, TX, United States
Early-stage hardware startup that designs and builds semiconductor fabrication equipment, tools, and the hardware/software needed to make fabs. Works on lithography, metrology, motion systems and related components; founded by Sam Zeloof and Jim Keller with offices in Austin and San Francisco.
