Optical Design Engineer

IDEX•West Henrietta, NY

About The Position

The Optical Engineer for semiconductor metrology and inspection is a market-focused engineering professional who applies optical design expertise to customer challenges. The role partners with customers to understand their needs and propose solutions, using optical design and tolerance analysis tools such as Zemax OpticStudio while balancing customer specifications with manufacturability. The engineer develops solutions from concept through prototype, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to align specifications, testing protocols, and manufacturing methods. The position reports directly to the Enterprise Solutions Manager and has direct reporting responsibility for customer-facing commercial roles within the Enterprise Solution team and other product-related roles. It also works closely with sales and cross-functional teams to develop and support customer and market solutions. Travel to meet customers and partners and attend industry events is required as needed, at less than 25%.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in an optics-related engineering discipline and 2 years of relevant experience, or a master's degree in a directly related field with 2 years of relevant experience.
At least 2 years of experience in lens design and optical tolerance analysis, including sensitivity and Monte Carlo analysis and interpreting results to inform manufacturing specifications and processes.
Strong understanding of spherical and aspheric optical component fabrication techniques and relevant specifications.
Understanding of precision alignment and metrology techniques.
Ability to write technical reports in detailed written and concise pictorial oral-presentation formats.
Working knowledge of optical test and evaluation equipment and procedures.
Direct experience specifying and testing optical-based integrated systems.
Experience with one or more optical design software packages, such as Zemax.
Excellent verbal communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Ability to travel as needed to meet customers and partners and attend industry events; travel is less than 25%.

Nice To Haves

Experience with stray-light and thermal analysis in optical modeling.
Experience with programming languages such as C++, Python, or MATLAB, and native optical-design programming languages, including developing scripts and API tools to streamline design, tolerancing, and analysis.

Responsibilities

Lead in-person customer meetings to understand customer needs and present IDEX solutions; partner with sales to provide technical expertise and develop sales strategies.
Use commercial tools to quantify and qualify customer opportunities for fit with Material Science Solutions.
Model and optimize 3D optical systems, including sequential and non-sequential optical modeling using Zemax OpticStudio or equivalent software.
Generate optical component specifications and drawings from higher-level specifications and models.
Prepare detailed requirements for procurement and fabrication of optical components.
Derive lens, coating, and optical-system requirements from customer interactions and documentation.
Work with opto-mechanical and CAD designers to define tooling, optical mounting, and human-interface requirements using predicted worst-case optical tolerances.
Design feasibility experiments for opto-mechanical subsystems, using simulation tools when appropriate to support R&D prototypes and production processes.
Represent the company at industry events, conferences, and trade shows.
Collaborate with product managers, engineers, supply chain, and QA to align solutions with customer and market needs.
Troubleshoot IDEX solutions in response to customer complaints and returns.
Identify baseline product and solution value for the market, competitors, and suppliers that can support IDEX.
Develop solutions from concept through prototype, aligning specifications, testing protocols, and manufacturing methods with stakeholders.