Principal Optical Engineer - Optical Metrology

ABOUT NEUROPHOS

The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach.

Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.

We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A https://www.neurophos.com/110m-raise led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others.

Join us and shape the future of computing!

Location: Austin, TX. Full-time onsite position.

Reports To: VP, Optics

FLSA Status: Exempt

POSITION OVERVIEW

The OPU’s free-space optical engine images thousands of parallel beams onto metasurface and detector arrays with micron-scale pixels. Every component and assembly in that path must be measured to tolerances few off-the-shelf instruments were built to.

As Principal Optical Engineer – Optical Metrology, you will define and build Neurophos’s free-space optical metrology capability. You will decide what is measured, how, and to what uncertainty; build or source the stations that do it; and turn the data into decisions for design, active alignment, suppliers, and production. You will be the company’s technical authority on optical measurement, working closely with optical design, optomechanics, photonics, packaging, and manufacturing teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Metrology strategy and architecture

• Define the company’s optical metrology roadmap across R&D, prototype builds and volume production: what is measured at each stage, by which method, and to what uncertainty.
• Flow system-level optical requirements and tolerance budgets down to measurable component and assembly specifications, together with optical design and optomechanics.
• Decide which capabilities to build in-house, which to buy and which to source from suppliers and test labs.

Measurement development and test stations

• Design, build and validate optical test stations: interferometry (surface form, transmitted wavefront), wavefront sensing, MTF and PSF measurement, beam profiling, polarimetry, spectral transmission and reflectance, scatter and stray light.
• Develop custom methods for microlens arrays: lenslet-by-lenslet focal length, wavefront and pointing.
• Develop camera-based metrology for spot position, pitch, distortion and registration across large fields of beams or pixels.
• Specify and procure commercial instruments, and lead the design of custom optics, reference artifacts and software for each station.

Measurement quality and data

• Establish measurement uncertainty budgets, calibration, traceability, gauge R&R and correlation between stations, suppliers and simulation.
• Build the data pipeline and analysis tools that turn raw measurements into pass/fail results, trends, and feedback to the optical and tolerance models.

Suppliers and production

• Define incoming-inspection methods and acceptance criteria for precision optics, and correlate measurements with suppliers.
• Transfer test methods and stations to assembly partners and contract manufacturers, and support yield analysis and failure root-cause.

Technical leadership

• Act as the company’s authority on optical measurement in design reviews and supplier qualifications.
• Communicate measurement results, risk, and capability gaps to engineering and executive audiences.
• Hire, lead, and mentor metrology engineers and technicians as the team grows.

QUALIFICATIONS

• PhD or M.S. in Optical Sciences, Optical Engineering, Physics or a related field (PhD preferred).
• 10+ years of hands-on optical metrology and test experience, including building measurement capability for precision optical products from development through production.
• Deep expertise in interferometry, wavefront sensing, and image-quality measurement (MTF, PSF, distortion), plus working knowledge of polarimetry and radiometry.
• Track record of designing custom test stations, including the optics, mechanics, calibration, and software, and of quantifying their measurement uncertainty.
• Strong grounding in physical and Fourier optics, aberration theory, and Gaussian beam propagation.
• Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for instrument control, image processing, and data analysis.
• Working knowledge of an optical design tool (Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V or equivalent) to model test setups and relate measurements to tolerances.
• Clear communicator who can explain measurement results and their limits to design, manufacturing, supplier, and executive audiences.
• Comfortable using AI tools in your day-to-day engineering work. We are building AI into how we design, align, and test optics.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Infrared metrology, including infrared cameras.
• Experience supporting active alignment, including choosing alignment metrics and verifying aligned assemblies.
• Experience setting up production test and incoming inspection with contract manufacturers and optics suppliers, including statistical process control.
• Experience with near-field and far-field fiber-mode measurement and coupling-efficiency testing.
• Experience in a startup or early-stage hardware team where you build the lab as well as the product.

WHAT WE OFFER

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.

BENEFITS

Join a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer:

• 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.
• Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.
• 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.
• Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.
• Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.