Senior Manager, Development Engineering

Onto Innovation•Wilmington, MA

35d•$144,000 - $216,000

About The Position

Onto Innovation is seeking a visionary Senior Manager of Optical Design and Development to lead the design and advancement of next-generation optical metrology systems used in semiconductor manufacturing. This role will drive innovation in optical architectures that enable precise measurement and inspection of nanometer-scale features in logic and memory devices, supporting AI-driven process control and yield optimization.

Requirements

Master’s or PhD in Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
15+ years of experience in optical system design, preferably in semiconductor metrology or inspection.
Expertise in optical modeling tools (e.g., Zemax, Code V, LightTools).
Strong understanding of geometrical and physical optics, optical system design, tolerancing, and manufacturability.
Experience with laser-based systems, spectroscopic techniques, and precision alignment.
Proven leadership in managing technical teams and delivering complex projects.

Nice To Haves

Experience writing requirements, specifications, and working with suppliers to produce custom optics.
Experience with optical metrology and the testing of optical systems.
Background in integrating optics with mechanics, motion control, sensors, and embedded systems.
Experience modeling stray light, ghost reflections and calculating light budgets
Familiarity with semiconductor process control, semiconductor inspection and metrology techniques.
Familiarity with next generation logic and memory device architectures such as especially in Gate All Around and High Bandwidth Memory architectures
Experience working in cleanrooms and understanding of cleanroom protocols.

Responsibilities

Lead a team of optical engineers in the design, simulation, and development of high-precision optical systems for metrology and inspection platforms.
Architect optical subsystems for products such as the Dragonfly G3, enabling smaller spot sizes, enhanced signal sensitivity, and advanced measurement precision
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (mechanical, electrical, software, and algorithm development) to integrate optical designs into full system solutions.
Drive the development of new technologies to cover I-line to IR wavelength light sources, objectives, and imaging optics.
Oversee design validation through lab testing, metrology, and performance metrics (e.g., MTF, SNR, wavefront error).
Mentor junior engineers and establish best practices in optical design documentation, simulation, and prototyping.
Interface with product management and customers to align optical capabilities with market needs and manufacturing constraints.