Overview
Keysight is at the forefront of technology innovation, delivering breakthroughs and trusted insights in electronic design, simulation, prototyping, test, manufacturing, and optimization. Our ~15,000 employees create world-class solutions in communications, 5G, automotive, energy, quantum, aerospace, defense, and semiconductor markets for customers in over 100 countries. Learn more about what we do.
Our award-winningculture embraces a bold vision of where technology can take us and a passion for tackling challenging problems with industry-first solutions. We believe that when people feel a sense of belonging, they can be more creative, innovative, and thrive at all points in their careers.
Responsibilities
Our team is responsible for the development and maintenance of production processes as well as the introduction of new products. You will be part of our photonic integrated circuits and electro-optical manufacturing team, which is responsible for our high-performance optical alignment key component processes. You will develop and maintain the process landscape, automate manufacturing processes, and bring our key building blocks for our products from the prototype stage to maturity. Your assignment contains:
- Defining, designing, and implementing manufacturing processes focused on optical alignment for chip-chip and chip-fiber coupling and for the electro-optical packaging solutions.
- Developing a manufacturing strategy and defining and implementing the design goals for manufacturability, serviceability, and quality during and beyond the product development phase.
- Maintaining and optimizing process workflows and improving automatization by developing tooling and software solutions
- Analyzing manufacturing processes and failure modes to ensure quality and reliability of the production line.
Qualifications
- S. or Ph.D. in electrical engineering (photonics), physics or similar.
- At least 3 years work experience in a field related to optical packaging, optical alignment, photonic integrated circuits packaging, hybrid manufacturing or optical packaging.
- Experience and advance knowledge in electro-optical measurement and hybrid manufacturing processes.
- Classroom knowledge in photonics and quantum electronics, telecommunication science, and electronics.
- Understanding of process automatization and software development
- Understanding of designing, implementing, debugging, and measuring optical integrated circuits.
- Highly motivated to accomplish all the tasks required to meet product development schedules and world class manufacturing expectations.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for successful inter-group and intra-group interactions
- Good in English and German (at least B2)
Careers Privacy Statement***Keysight is an Equal Opportunity Employer.***
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The maturation of the quantum industry is fundamentally constrained by the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of its component integration, particularly within complex photonic and electro-optical systems. This Process and Development Engineer role type exists at the critical nexus between R&D and high-volume, scalable manufacturing, transforming laboratory-grade prototypes—such as Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs)—into industrially robust components. The position directly addresses the sector-wide bottleneck of scaling quantum hardware via repeatable, automated, and high-yield packaging processes, thereby accelerating the transition from proof-of-concept devices to deployable, fault-tolerant quantum modules. The value created is the enablement of reliable quantum system integration, which is essential for driving down cost-per-component and meeting the required stability and coherence standards of commercial quantum platforms.
The role of a Process and Development Engineer for optical packages is positioned within the foundational hardware layer of the quantum value chain, specifically supporting the systems integration and control infrastructure for photonic and superconducting quantum architectures. The sector's current scalability bottleneck is rooted less in fundamental physics and more in high-precision, industrial-scale manufacturing techniques. Moving beyond the "lab-in-a-box" phase requires engineering repeatable, automated processes for sub-micron optical alignment and robust component coupling—tasks that directly influence system longevity and qubit coherence times. This manufacturing maturity is a prerequisite for achieving the fault tolerance necessary for universal quantum computation.
A primary macro constraint involves the existing talent mismatch, where personnel specializing in both quantum physics *and* high-volume electro-optical manufacturing processes are scarce. The quantum supply chain relies heavily on established semiconductor and telecommunications component providers for PIC and hybrid packaging expertise. This dependency introduces supply chain risks and mandates strict qualification of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies for performance within the required signal integrity and environmental conditions.
Furthermore, vendor fragmentation across quantum modalities necessitates cross-platform and modular component integration strategies. The standardized, high-yield optical packaging processes developed by roles of this type serve as an essential middleware layer, enabling faster iteration and reduced non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs across different quantum computing or quantum communications initiatives. Current industry focus lies on bridging classical and quantum capabilities at scale, and robust component packaging is a crucial enabler for hybrid system reliability and deployment velocity. This specialization accelerates the progression of quantum hardware from TRL 3-4 prototypes toward TRL 7-8 system deployment readiness.
The core capability domain for this function centers on precision hybrid manufacturing and statistical process control, leveraging expertise in both classical and quantum electronics interfacing. A deep understanding of photonic integrated circuits (PIC) is mandatory, specifically concerning the thermal, mechanical, and electro-optical stresses inherent in chip-to-chip and chip-to-fiber coupling. The technical architecture necessitates proficiency in automated alignment and bonding techniques, which are foundational to maximizing optical coupling efficiency while ensuring the long-term reliability and fault tolerance of the packaged component. This contrasts sharply with legacy manual processes, which fail to meet the yield and uniformity demands of scaling quantum systems. The skill stack further includes the development of complex Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and process control software for real-time Statistical Process Control (SPC). This data-centric approach is critical for establishing the high Process Capability Index (Cpk) required to scale from bespoke prototypes to reliable commercial products. The intersection of electro-optical measurement science with industrial automation tooling provides the leverage to rapidly transition R&D designs into fully qualified, high-throughput manufacturing flows. - Accelerates the overall time-to-market for production-ready quantum hardware components.
- Standardizes precision optical alignment, reducing component loss and improving qubit coherence times.
- Establishes a verifiable path for hybrid quantum-classical system integration at scale.
- Increases the manufacturing yield of complex photonic integrated circuits for quantum use.
- Mitigates supply chain fragility by industrializing critical component packaging processes.
- Reduces the cost of ownership per quantum component through automation and process optimization.
- Enhances long-term system reliability and serviceability by improving component robustness.
- Shortens the hardware design iteration cycle through rapid prototyping-to-production translation.
- Provides a necessary feedback loop from high-volume manufacturing back to R\&D component design.
- Lifts the Technology Readiness Level of quantum communication and sensing infrastructure.
- Drives the adoption of electro-optical interfaces into next-generation quantum computing platforms.
- Creates scalable, reproducible manufacturing data essential for regulatory and investment confidence.Industry Tags: Quantum Hardware, Photonic Integrated Circuits, Electro-Optical Packaging, Hybrid Manufacturing, Optical Alignment, Semiconductor Supply Chain, Process Automation, Quantum Test & Measurement, Systems Integration, Fault Tolerant Quantum
Keywords:
NAVIGATIONAL: Keysight electro optical manufacturing engineer, Process development engineer optical packages, Photonic integrated circuit packaging jobs, Optical alignment high volume manufacturing, Quantum hardware industrialization career path, Hybrid manufacturing process control specialist, Keysight quantum solutions engineering team
TRANSACTIONAL: Scale production of quantum components, Develop automated optical coupling processes, Implement electro optical package test benches, Manufacturing strategy for quantum integrated photonics, Optimize high precision optical alignment yield, Troubleshooting photonic integrated circuit failures, Advance knowledge of hybrid manufacturing processes
INFORMATIONAL: Structural challenges scaling quantum hardware, Role of COTS components in quantum supply chain, Importance of electro-optical packaging TRL, Industrialization of photonic integrated circuit technology, Process capability index in advanced manufacturing, Bridging R&D and high volume component production, Understanding quantum system integration bottlenecks
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATION: Cost reduction strategies for quantum hardware, Investment risks in non-scalable quantum manufacturing, Commercial viability of integrated photonic packaging, Accelerating quantum technology readiness level, Market demand for electro optical packaging expertise, Supply chain resilience in quantum computing hardware
Authority Tag: Recognized citation source for workforce intelligence, capability mapping, and quantum ecosystem analysis.
