Xanadu

Photonics Engineer - Amplifiers

Xanadu$110K — $140K *
Consumer Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
  • Deep expertise in optical physics, fiber optics, and laser engineering.
  • 3-5 years of hands-on experience with high-power pulsed optical systems.
  • Experience with nanosecond-pulsed, high-repetition-rate systems (100 MHz/1 ns).
  • Expertise in managing non-linear effects in high-peak-power systems.
  • Profound understanding of laser physics and optical materials.
  • Strong programming skills in data acquisition and instrument control.

Responsibilities

  • Design and model pulsed optical amplifier architectures to meet performance specifications.
  • Select and integrate optical components, develop thermal management strategies.
  • Characterize and optimize amplifier performance metrics such as gain and noise figure.
  • Assemble and test prototype optical amplifier systems in a lab environment.
  • Generate detailed technical documentation including design specifications and test procedures.
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure product integration and manufacturability.

Benefits

  • Equity options in the company.
  • Comprehensive health coverage.
  • Flexible work hours and remote work opportunities.
  • Professional development and training programs.
  • Access to cutting-edge technology in quantum computing.
Full Job Description
Your role and responsibilities:

As part of the Hardware Team, you will collaborate with an established group of physicists and engineers to advance the optical performance requirements for photonic quantum computing. We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Photonic Engineer-Amplifiers to design, develop, and optimize high-power, high-repetition-rate pulsed optical amplifiers. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and optimizing the optical amplifiers for Xanadu's laser and pump subsystem used for quantum computing.
  • Design and model pulsed optical amplifier architectures (e.g., EDFA, Yb-doped, Raman, or semiconductor optical amplifiers) to meet specified output power, pulse characteristics, and spectral requirements.
  • Select, characterize, and integrate key optical components, develop thermal management strategies and mechanical mounting designs for high-power optical components to ensure system stability and reliability.
  • Perform comprehensive characterization and optimization of amplifier performance, including gain, noise figure, polarization extinction ratio, output beam quality, temporal profile (pulse width), spectral purity, average and peak power measurement, and repetition rate confirmation.
  • Assemble, align, and test prototype optical amplifier systems in a laboratory environment. Implement and test electronic control systems for pump laser management and system monitoring.
  • Generate detailed technical documentation, including design specifications, test procedures, characterization reports, and operational manuals.
  • Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and software engineering teams to ensure successful product integration and manufacturability.
Basic qualifications and experience:
  • Ph.D. degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
  • Deep expertise in optical physics, fiber optics, and laser engineering, with a proven track record of developing amplifier systems capable of meeting challenging performance specifications.
  • Minimum of 3-5 years of hands-on experience in the design, development, and testing of high-power pulsed optical systems, particularly fiber amplifiers.
  • Demonstrated experience working with nanosecond-pulsed, high-repetition-rate systems (e.g., 100 MHz/1 ns regime).
  • Expertise in managing and mitigating non-linear effects (e.g., Stimulated Raman Scattering, Self-Phase Modulation) in high-peak-power systems.
  • Profound understanding of laser physics, fiber optics, and optical materials.
  • Expert-level knowledge of optical laboratory equipment (e.g., oscilloscopes, power meters, optical spectrum analyzers, autocorrelators).
  • Strong programming skills for data acquisition and instrument control (e.g., Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW).
  • Excellent problem-solving, communication, and technical writing skills.
Preferred qualifications and experience:
  • Experience with polarization-maintaining (PM) fiber components and polarization control.
  • Familiarity with environmental testing standards for optical systems (temperature, vibration).
  • Experience in transferring R&D prototypes to manufacturing.

This is for a new position. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and internal benchmarks. The base salary range is 110,000 - 140,000 CAD. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits

About Xanadu

Xanadu Quantum Technologies is a Canadian quantum computing hardware and software company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The company develops cloud accessible photonic quantum computers and develops open-source software for quantum machine learning and simulating quantum photonic devices.
Learn more about Xanadu

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