Own active alignment and sub-micron bonding processes for optical processing unit (OPU) sub-assemblies at Neurophos.
Originally posted 10 November 2026 by the employer.
About the role
Neurophos is seeking a Principal Optical Engineer to own active alignment for the optical processing unit (OPU). The role defines how to align and bond fiber arrays, microlens arrays, collimators, metasurfaces, and photonic and detector chips to sub-micron and micro-radian tolerances.
What you'll do
- Own the active-alignment strategy for free-space and fiber-coupled OPU sub-assemblies, establishing degrees of freedom, alignment sequences, datums, and feedback signals.
- Translate optical tolerance budgets into alignment requirements, capture ranges, and pass/fail criteria alongside optical design and optomechanical engineering teams.
- Develop alignment algorithms covering coarse search, gradient and hill-climb optimization, multi-axis merit functions, and simultaneous alignment of many channels.
- Develop bonding processes including adhesive selection, bond-line control, UV and thermal cure, cure-shift prediction and pre-compensation, and post-bond stability.
- Specify, build, or source active-alignment stations using hexapods, precision stages, machine vision, power- and image-based feedback, dispense, and cure.
- Transfer alignment processes to contract manufacturers and component suppliers, qualifying aligned assemblies through thermal cycling, shock, vibration, and long-term stability testing.
What you'll need
- PhD or MS in Optics, Physics, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience developing active-alignment processes for photonic or optical assemblies, with at least one process taken into volume production.
- Hands-on experience aligning fibers, fiber arrays, and micro-optics to photonic chips, lenses, or detectors with sub-micron precision.
- Solid technical foundation in Gaussian beam optics, mode coupling, alignment tolerances, and sensitivities.
- Experience with UV and thermal-cure adhesives, bonding processes, and cure-shift control.
- Experience specifying and using hexapods, precision motion systems, and machine vision.
- Programming skills in Python, C#, or LabVIEW for instrument control, automation, and data analysis.
Nice to have
- Experience with commercial active-alignment platforms and their software environments.
- Experience with design of experiments, statistical process control, and yield modeling.
- Experience with wafer-level or panel-level alignment and bonding.
More semiconductor jobs: Hardware design jobs · Austin jobs
First seen in our index 0 days ago, well below the 47-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
1134
|
Median days since first seen
47 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$148k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Neurophos | All employers we track in this specialty (1134 roles · 108 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 2 | 1134 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 8 | 6598 · 157 employers |
| Median days since first seen | 0 d | 47 d (+47 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | n/a | $148k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 87 open roles · median 35 d
- KLA Corporation · 66 open roles · median 61 d
- NVIDIA · 59 open roles · median 76 d
- Teradyne · 59 open roles · median 52 d
- ASML · 58 open roles · median 19 d
- Applied Materials · 57 open roles · median 42 d
How we counted: 1134 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 108 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 Nov 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there, and is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Days are counted from when our index first saw each posting, not from the employer's original posting date.