Principal Photonic Hardware Architect, Calibration Systems Milpitas, California,

Principal Photonic Hardware Architect, Calibration Systems

Location:

Milpitas, California, United States

Job Summary:

A principal-level hardware leader to architect the laser amplification and distribution systems that enable quantum system calibration. The role is responsible for defining and leading the hardware design for distributing CW and pulsed laser light to calibration ports in photonic chips, ensuring the system is scalable, power-efficient, synchronized, and optimised for cost, complexity, and calibration performance. It also encompasses defining requirements for on‑chip photodiodes or dedicated single‑photon detectors and for optical pulse delivery for electrical timing.

• Own the end‑to‑end hardware architecture for distributing CW and pulsed light to calibration ports provisioned in photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
• Determine optical power requirements based on signal‑to‑noise ratio and system‑level calibration performance needs.
• Design and optimise amplification, splitting, routing, timing, and synchronization schemes for calibration light distribution.
• Develop approaches for distributed calibration across increasingly large quantum systems.
• Define methods for detecting optical signals after propagation through calibration target PICs, including detector selection and readout architecture.
• Specify and guide the electronics required to drive lasers, control optical subsystems, and acquire detector outputs.
• Drive design trade‑offs with strong attention to power consumption, system cost, packaging complexity, and long‑term scalability to very large qubit counts.
• Work closely with the system automation team to understand calibration algorithms, develop operating procedures, and build hardware that enables, accelerates, or improves those workflows.
• Collaborate with the photonic team to provide input on PIC design and gather requirements that influence the supporting calibration hardware architecture.
• Collaborate with runtime electronics team and system architects on closed‑loop recalibration solutions.
• Guide vendors and external partners for development of optical and electro‑optical hardware components and subsystems.

• Deep understanding of CW and pulsed lasers.
• Strong expertise in fiber amplifiers, optical splitting, and light distribution architectures.
• Solid command of phase noise analysis and noise figure considerations in system design.
• Experience with fiber polarization stability and control and familiarity with the practical challenges of maintaining optical performance in deployed systems.
• Strong background in integrated photonics and discrete photonics using fiber‑based components.
• Experience designing hardware that can be deployed in rack‑mountable systems or similar production‑ready infrastructure.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across disciplines.
• Independent thinker with sound engineering judgment and strong ownership.
• Proven ability to manage vendors and make progress in complex, fast‑paced engineering environments.

• Experience designing calibration or metrology hardware for advanced optical or quantum systems.
• Track record of leading highly optimised hardware architectures under challenging system constraints.
• Experience with numerical modelling and simulation of optical systems.

As set forth in Psi Quantum’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

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