Superconducting Circuit Designer

Great Sky•Boulder, CO

7d•$160,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Great Sky is a technology startup pursuing neuroscience-inspired hardware and algorithms to address challenges in scaling AI systems. The company is developing superconducting neural-network hardware combining ultra-fast analog computation, local memory, and optical fan-out. The Superconducting Circuit Designer will contribute to this AI hardware platform by designing, verifying, and supporting tapeout of increasingly complex superconducting circuits. Great Sky is open to mid-level through senior candidates, with title and scope depending on experience. The role includes designing superconducting electronic circuits using technologies such as Josephson junctions, SQUIDs, arrays of superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors, and thin-film amplifiers such as nTrons. The designer will adapt circuits to advanced manufacturing processes, support post-layout simulation and verification, and work with fabrication teams, external foundries, algorithms teams, and measurement teams to align design, simulation, manufacturing, and performance. In the first year, success includes significantly expanding the library of superconducting device primitives, optimizing circuits for speed, energy efficiency, and scalability, effectively using the Python-based design and layout flow, and verifying design operation through simulations and measurements.

Requirements

MS or equivalent experience in physics, electrical engineering, or a related field.
At least 3 years of experience in circuit design and/or superconducting circuits.
Familiarity with state-of-the-art literature in superconducting electronics.
Experience with numerical analysis and simulation of superconducting circuits; prior experience with WR-SPICE or JoSim is preferred.
Experience with electromagnetic simulation workflows.

Nice To Haves

Strong scripting ability in Python or a similar language, applied to parametric or automated layout generation.
Strong mathematical foundations in linear algebra, differential equations, probability, dynamical systems, optimization, and statistics.
Experience building or maintaining parametric cells, layout generators, or scripted layout flows.
Experience contributing to large tapeouts with complex foundry processes.
Experience with CMOS analog or mixed-signal design.
Prior experience with WR-SPICE or JoSim.

Responsibilities

Design superconducting electronic circuits, including circuits based on Josephson junctions, SQUIDs, arrays of superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors, and thin-film amplifiers such as nTrons.
Adapt existing circuits to advanced manufacturing processes.
Support post-layout simulation and verification of passive and active superconducting circuits.
Collaborate with the fabrication team and external foundries to help ensure successful chip manufacturing.
Collaborate with algorithms and measurement teams to maintain consistency between simulation, design, and performance.
Extend and augment the library of superconducting device primitives.
Optimize existing circuits to improve speed, energy efficiency, and scalability.
Use the Python-based design and layout flow effectively.
Verify design operation through simulations and measurements.