Intern, Free-Space Optical Test Systems

Ayar Labs • San Jose, CA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Ayar Labs is seeking a graduate intern to join its System Engineering team and build and characterize an advanced free-space optical system for imaging photonic integrated circuits. The work spans theory, hardware, and software, including developing computational methods to control and optimize the imaging system, implementing wavefront control, modeling beam propagation through the optical train, and using numerical optimization to achieve defined performance targets.

The intern will build and align the optical bench, write software to control it, and conduct experiments to characterize system performance. The internship has defined objectives and deliverables, and the intern will be mentored by a senior engineer while working alongside Ayar Labs engineers. The term is May to August 2027. The position is on-site in the San Jose office. Immigration support is unavailable except for F-1 candidates; relocation support is not available.

Requirements

• Actively pursuing a Ph.D. in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Optics, or an equivalent field.
• Strong working knowledge of Fourier optics and beam propagation, with demonstrated ability to model and compute optical fields through multi-element systems.
• Solid grounding in optical imaging system design, including pupil and image plane relationships, resolution and field-of-view trade-offs, and aberration theory.
• Hands-on experience with wavefront control and holography, including spatial light modulators or equivalent programmable optical elements.
• Demonstrated experience building and aligning free-space optical benches, including fiber coupling, camera-based imaging, and polarization optics.
• Proficiency in Python for numerical optimization, instrument control, and test automation.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with Zemax or equivalent optical design software.

Responsibilities

• Build and characterize a free-space optical system for imaging photonic integrated circuits.
• Develop computational methods for controlling and optimizing the imaging system.
• Design and implement wavefront control.
• Model beam propagation through the optical train.
• Use numerical optimization to drive the system toward defined performance targets.
• Build and align the optical bench.
• Write software to control the optical system.
• Run experiments to characterize system performance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree