Photonics Test Engineer

Location: Raleigh, NC (Onsite) | Reports to: Characterization Group Lead | Employment Type: Full-Time

Check you match the skill requirements for this role, as well as associated experience, then apply with your CV below.

Uviquity is a deep tech startup pioneering the next generation of integrated photonics, developing photonic integrated circuits (PICs) on a proprietary aluminum nitride (AlN) platform, generating and routing light from the deep ultraviolet through the infrared on a single manufacturable chip. Its technology serves quantum systems, advanced sensing and analytical instrumentation, and other ultraviolet photonics applications. Founded in 2022 and backed by leading venture capital firms, we've partnered with multiple Fortune 500 companies and other international commercial partners to bring our innovations to market. 

Uviquity is seeking a hands-on Photonics Engineer to join our Test and Characterization team. You will characterize our integrated photonic devices and deep-UV light engines at the bench, and own the test systems that produce that data, from setup and validation through automation and improvement. Working closely with design and process engineers, you will drive the device learning cycle: test planning, measurement, analysis, review, and follow-up. This role is a great fit for an early-career engineer who is equally comfortable at an optical table and in a Python script.

• Characterize AlN waveguide chips, diode lasers, and packaged deep-UV light engines, including propagation loss, SHG output, LIV, and spectral performance
• Align, operate, and maintain custom free-space and fiber-coupled test stations, troubleshooting systematically to separate real device behavior from measurement artifacts
• Drive the test cycle from test plan through measurement, analysis, and design review, and define follow-up experiments to close open questions
• Partner with design and process engineers to plan and execute R&D DOEs, correlating measured results with simulation and fabrication data
• Validate and qualify test systems through calibration, reference devices, and repeatability studies so results can be trusted across stations and over time
• Automate instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis in Python to improve throughput and data quality
• Help design, build, and bring up new metrology capabilities, from component selection through fixture design and integration
• Maintain rigorous data management and documentation, including metadata standards, traceability, SOPs, and technical reports, and promote a safe, quality-focused lab

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optics/Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• Hands-on experience building and aligning free-space optical systems, and keeping them aligned over extended measurement campaigns
• Solid grounding in fundamental optics, including beam propagation, polarization, and fiber or waveguide coupling
• Proficiency in Python (or similar) for instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis
• Rigorous experimental practice, including careful handling of small, sensitive parts, sound statistical analysis, and excellent documentation
• Working knowledge of Class 3B/4 laser safety
• Strong communication skills and ability to work well in a fast-paced, multi-disciplinary startup environment
• Experience with integrated photonics, such as edge coupling, fiber-to-chip alignment, or photonic probe stations, is preferred
• Familiarity with nonlinear optics, such as second harmonic generation and phase matching, is preferred
• Experience with test automation, motion control, or optomechanical design for custom fixtures is preferred

You'll be joining a world-class team at the forefront of deep-UV semiconductor innovation, with a mission to develop and produce photonic integrated circuits that will change the world that we live in. This role sits at the center of that effort: nearly every decision we make about our devices traces back to data measured at these benches. xhyhwjd You'll have direct ownership of that data and the systems that produce it, a clear voice in design reviews, visible impact on the company's technical direction, and the opportunity to build deep expertise in integrated photonics, nonlinear optics, and precision metrology as the team and platform grow.