Sr. Photonics Process Simulation Engineer - Santa Clara, CA

About Xanadu: Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere.

At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers.

We are creating something that has never been built before.

What we are doing is extremely hard, the classic moon shot.

Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems, and literally change the world.

And that is something to be excited about!

Your role and responsibilities: We are seeking a Sr.

Photonics Process Simulation Engineer to build and direct our process simulation and modeling roadmap for ultra-low loss quantum photonic hardware.

In this role, you will work within Xanadu’s Fabrication Process Engineering Team to stand up predictive foundry process simulation workflows for Xanadu’s photonic devices.

You will bridge the gap between semiconductor fab execution, multi-physics simulation, and optical test data to drive process optimizations that yield industry-leading propagation loss in photonic integrated circuits.

You will:

• Build, maintain and utilize an integrated, closed-loop simulation pipeline that ingests inline fab data, simulates process variations, and feeds predicted 3D geometries into optical loss solvers.

• Utilize physics-based simulations, finite element modeling, stochastic lithography modeling, and/or 3D virtual fab tools to accurately model feature-scale geometries and line edge roughness (LER) of etched features.

• Propose, simulate, and validate experimental wafer splits to optimize plasma etch chemistry, mask erosion, taper angles, and sidewall smoothing in key photonics material systems.

• Establish the roadmap for process optimization, virtual fabrication, and predictive modeling.

• Ingest inline fab metrics, top-down/cross-sectional SEM, AFM, and optical loss testing into the simulation framework to continuously calibrate surface reaction and etch physics models against measurements.

• Serve as the technical bridge between fab module engineers (litho, etch, thin films) and optical design teams to ensure process development directly supports quantum hardware requirements.

Basic qualifications and experience:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Microelectronics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related technical discipline

• 6+ years of hands-on experience in semiconductor process simulation (optical/EBL photolithography, plasma dry-etch modeling, TCAD, etc.)

• Deep proficiency with commercial semiconductor process simulation tools (e.g., Silvaco Victory Process, Synopsys Sentaurus, KLA PROLITH, or Coventor SEMulator3D)

• Experience in process development for integrated photonics and/or compound semiconductor platforms

• Experience with finite-element modeling of photonics and/or semiconductor devices