Optical Fabrication Engineer

Optical Fabrication Engineer

Location: Lebanon NH

Key Responsibilities

Conventional Fabrication - Grinding Lapping & Polishing

• Develop qualify and document loose-abrasive grinding and pitch-polishing processes for flats spheres prisms and wedges across optical glasses fused silica calcium fluoride and crystalline materials.
• Own pitch selection and management for the full fabrication pitch range (Gugolz #55 #82 Universal Photonics CP #55 #82); specify blends flow control channel geometry and temperature regimes for each application.
• Control and troubleshoot cerium oxide and diamond slurry chemistry concentration pH and contamination for consistent removal rate and surface quality.
• Diagnose and mitigate subsurface damage (SSD); establish grind-to-polish transition strategies that minimize polishing time while meeting figure and finish requirements.
• Perform CP lap conditioning and pad management; drive figure convergence on 12 96 continuous polishers.

Double-Sided Lapping & Polishing (DSP/DSL)

• Own process development and optimization for SpeedFam 22B OptiPro GlassMaster 720 and equivalent equipment.
• Design and qualify carriers for new part geometries; specify pocket placement eccentricity and pressure distribution to achieve target figure and parallelism.
• Apply planetary kinematics speed ratio (k) relative velocity and Preston equation fundamentals to predict and control removal rate and uniformity.
• Troubleshoot common DSP/DSL failure modes: center-to-edge non-uniformity carrier wear pad glazing part chipping and carrier-induced scratching.

Prism Wedge & Complex Geometry Work

• Lead prism angle fabrication including right-angle Dove Penta Schmidt and roof prisms; control pyramidal error angle tolerance and 90 squareness to arc-second levels.
• Specify and execute wax blocking pitch button blocking and array blocking strategies for prism and wedge production.
• Apply blocking-plate wedge analysis to predict and control cross-wedge and thickness variation in array-blocked components.
• Develop multi-element assembly and de-blocking procedures that protect finished surfaces.

Metrology & Process Control

• Operate Zygo GPI/Fizeau and New View interferometers; interpret MetroPro / MX output including Zernike decomposition PV/RMS figure slope and PSD/MSF analysis.
• Use Metro Script (OMP-0399P) for automated measurement routines including the center-phase-array method for data centering and translation on masked apertures.
• Specify and apply MIL-PRF-13830B and ISO 10110 surface quality figure wedge and centration requirements on engineering drawings.
• Use ZEISS CALYPSO CMM Prism Master autocollimators and mechanical inspection tools to qualify dimensional and angular tolerances.
• Partner with Quality to drive FAI (AS9102) Gage R&R and corrective action for fabrication yield issues.

Process Engineering & Continuous Improvement

• Author and maintain work instructions SOPs and process travellers for conventional fabrication operations in ERP system.
• Lead root-cause analysis on yield loss scrap and rework; implement preventive measures with measurable impact.
• Evaluate and qualify new equipment tooling and consumables (pitch abrasives carriers blocking materials).
• Mentor Optical Fabrication Technicians I III; support skills development competency assessments and training.
• Collaborate with operations on producibility reviews and design-for-fabrication feedback during quoting and program kick-off.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 5 years of hands-on precision optical fabrication experience in a defense aerospace or scientific optics production environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in conventional (non-CNC) fabrication processes: loose-abrasive grinding pitch polishing double-sided lapping/polishing and prism work.
• Proven ability to independently develop and qualify fabrication processes from raw blank through finished component.
• Track record of solving complex yield figure or finish problems through first-principles analysis.

Technical Skills

• Deep working knowledge of optical fabrication physics: Preston equation Hertzian contact SSD mechanics and pitch rheology.
• Expert-level pitch polishing tool preparation lap conditioning hand figuring and full-aperture convergence.
• Double-sided lapping/polishing experience on SpeedFam GlassMaster Lap master or equivalent planetary machines.
• Prism fabrication experience including angle control blocking and arc-second measurement.
• Proficient with Zygo interferometers and MetroPro; able to interpret Zernike PSD and slope data.
• Able to read and interpret optical drawings per MIL-PRF-13830B and ISO 10110 (all applicable parts).
• Solid grasp of ASME Y14.5 GD&T as applied to optical components.

Education

• Bachelors degree in Optical Engineering Physics Materials Science Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field with 5 years of hands-on precision optical fabrication experience; OR
• 10 years of directly applicable precision optical fabrication experience in lieu of a degree with demonstrated expertise across grinding polishing metrology and complex geometry work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with continuous polishers (CP) up to 96 diameter.
• Metro Script (Zygo OMP-0399P) scripting capability for automated measurement and data analysis.
• Familiarity with QED MRF (magnetorheological finishing) ion beam figuring or other sub-aperture deterministic processes as complements to conventional work.
• Experience with optical glass such as N-BK7 or ceramic materials such as Zerodur. Experience with crystalline and IR materials (ZnS Ge Si ZnSe sapphire).
• Familiarity with AS9100 quality management system requirements.
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems for production routing and travellers.
• Exposure to acid etching MRF or other post-polish surface treatments.