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Senior Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) Characterization Engineer

Stuttgart
Full-time
Permanent employee

Your mission

To lead the photonic and electrical characterization of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic integrated circuits (PICs) operating in the GHz regime. This role defines, develops, and operates advanced lab setups, including probe stations and test instrumentation, to extract performance metrics, identify improvement opportunities, and provide feedback to design and manufacturing. The engineer ensures high-quality measurement data, optimizes test procedures, and mentors junior engineers and operators.

Key responsibilities:
  • Oversee daily characterization activities, ensuring high-quality, reproducible results.
  • Define, design, build, and maintain optical and RF test setups, including probe station configuration, calibration, and optimization.
  • Interface with design teams to understand device specifications and testing needs; collaborate with manufacturing to feed back performance insights and improvement actions.
  • Schedule and prioritize characterization campaigns to align with project milestones and R&D priorities.
  • Mentor and guide junior engineers and technicians in best practices for device testing, data acquisition, and analysis.
  • Ensure adherence to lab safety standards and equipment handling protocols.

Your profile

Education: Master’s or PhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field.
Experience:
  • ≥8 years in photonic device characterization, with ≥3 years in GHz-regime high-speed testing.
  • Proven track record in setting up and optimizing optical & RF probe stations for PIC measurements.
  • Experience mentoring or supervising junior engineers in lab environments.
Technical Knowledge:
  • Thin-film lithium niobate device physics and applications.
  • High-speed optical modulation, detection, and RF signal integrity principles.
  • Photodiode characterization principles.
  • Measurement instrumentation (VNAs, high-speed oscilloscopes, optical spectrum analyzers, RF probes, tunable lasers).
  • Calibration methods for optical and RF systems.
Tools & Processes:
  • Automation scripting (Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB).
  • Data acquisition systems and post-processing workflows.
  • Familiarity with cleanroom processes and device fabrication steps.
Languages: Fluent in English; proficiency in German or another European language is a plus.
 
 

Why us?

  • Make growing demand in compute and sustainability go hand in hand
  • Work on leading edge photonic AI acceleration technologies.
  • Collaborative and innovative work environment.
  • Own your work from day one and fast-track your professional growth.
  • Work alongside a passionate, international, cross-functional team of experts.
  • Collaborate closely with the company’s founders and core leadership team.

About us

Who we are and what we do
Q.ANT is a deep-tech scale-up developing photonic processing solutions that compute natively with light and deliver a scalable alternative to transistor-based systems. The analog co-processors are optimised for complex computations and enable energy-efficient performance for next-generation AI and HPC applications. In collaboration with the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart IMS CHIPS, Q.ANT operates its own pilot line for photonic chips, based on the material system Thin-Film Lithium Niobate TFLN. Q.ANT was founded by Michael Förtsch in 2018 and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.