Senior Optical Development Engineer for Metrology Systems

As a Senior Optical Development Engineer, you will take a lead role in the conception, development, and validation of our precision measurement systems. Your focus will shift significantly towards optical development: you will actively design optical measurement concepts, build prototypes, and ensure our systems overcome physical limitations to meet stringent accuracy and robustness requirements.

• Analyze, evaluate, and optimize production and measurement technologies to strengthen Chiral Nano's metrology capabilities.
• Conceptualize, design, and dimension opto-mechanical systems for high-precision optical measurement, including mechanical, optical, and mechatronic subsystems.
• Build, assemble, and commission prototype setups for optical metrology, including experiment planning, test execution, data acquisition, and failure-mode analysis.
• Process and analyze measurement data using advanced computational techniques, including computer vision, image processing, and machine-learning-based methods to extract features, enhance measurement performance, and improve system robustness.
• Create designs for custom experimental setups, prototype systems, and special-purpose fixtures.
• Define and maintain error budgets, uncertainty analyses, and calibration strategies for optical metrology.
• Prepare technical documentation, reports, system specifications, and recommendations for design changes.
• Support integration of the metrology subsystem into pre-series production tools.

• Excellent degree (MSc or PhD) in physics, optical engineering, mechanical engineering, micro-/precision engineering, photonics, mechatronics, or a related field with strong focus on optics and optical technologies.
• Several years of experience in the development of optical or opto-mechanical measurement systems, ideally in semiconductor equipment, microsystems technology, precision instrumentation, or related industries.
• Strong foundation in optics, sensors, instrumentation, and machine vision for the alignment of semiconductor substrates or alike.
• Demonstrated ability to experiment with new ideas and solutions, both theoretically and practically (e.g., during a PhD or in industrial prototyping).

• Technical skills:
  • In-depth knowledge of technical optics, optical manufacturing, and broad knowledge of modern optical components and technologies.
  • Proficiency with optical design and simulation software (e.g., Zemax, Code V, LightTools) and understanding of tolerancing and sensitivity analysis.
  • Practical experience with measurement data processing, image analysis, or computer vision; familiarity with machine learning is an advantage.
  • Skilled in designing experiments, collecting measurement data, and performing comprehensive error budgeting.
  • Basic proficiency in data acquisition, analysis, and visualization tools (e.g., Python, MATLAB, or similar).
• Mindset:
  • You combine outstanding analytical and conceptual abilities with a high level of creativity, initiative, and a structured, goal-oriented approach to problem-solving and personal responsibility.
  • Comfortable with hands-on lab tasks and technical problem-solving.
  • Curious and eager to learn in a fast-paced start-up setting.
• Collaboration:
  • Strong communication skills in English; German a plus.
  • Ability to work with interdisciplinary teams across physics, software, and hardware.

• Impact: Directly contribute to validating and improving the accuracy of our robotic integration systems.
• Learning: Gain hands-on experience in advanced metrology, precision engineering, and system characterization for semiconductor equipment.
• Compensation: Competitive compensation scheme, including an employee stock participation plan and Swiss employment benefits.
• Culture: Small, international team, collaborative environment, and a chance to work at the forefront of nanotech innovation.

… and the best coffee in Zurich :)