Senior Development Metrology Engineer

Scope of Position

The position is in the Advanced Optics surface finishing and optical fabrication development group based in Rochester, NY.  The individual will be working closely with the optical fabrication development group, division and plant engineering, supporting the business objective of developing novel optical fabrication and metrology technologies. While the role would not initially involve the candidate having direct reports, it could eventually, based on organizational needs.

The role involves developing innovative optical measurement technologies for high-precision optical elements (lenses, mirrors, prisms, etc.) from conception development to deployment of pilot lines ready for deployment on the production floor.   The candidate will aim for a thorough understanding of metrology instruments and improve metrology processes as part of a team using structured problem-solving methods, hands-on experimentation, equipment hardware and software development.

The individual will be responsible for developing and maintaining a scientific network inside and outside of the corporation and it is expected that the candidate will become a metrology SME sought after from across the division and throughout Corning’s science and technology community. The candidate is expected to document results by authoring internal/external reports and filing invention disclosures and support patent applications whenever applicable.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Identify project goals and timelines.
• Define and maintain metrology technology roadmap.
• Quantify value proposition of proposed activities and estimate return on investments.  
• Champion and advocates for metrology projects to management/steering teams.
• Establish risk management plans including risk assessment, preventive and mitigation measures.
• Design, build, and validate new metrology systems and processes.
• Identification of instrumental error sources, error budget management, and validation of equipment or set-up performance 
• Cost estimation for component metrology support of prototype and commercial opportunities. 
• Lead and participate in teams to support project and department objectives. 
• Communicate results to management/steering teams and technology receivers. 
• Lead periodic project reviews.
• Document results - accomplishments and misses - in internal and external technical publications, write invention disclosures and support patent applications when appropriate.
• Dissimilate technical knowledge broadly and mentor more junior personnel.
• Keep current with technological advances in optical metrology through scientific literature, conferences, interfacing with appropriate experts, etc.

Requirements

• B.S. required, M.S., Ph.D. preferred.  Optical Science/Engineering/Physics preferred, will consider ME or equivalent degree. 
• 5+ years' experience in high-precision optics metrology.
• Experience with the manufacture and metrology of aspheres including use, and calibration of CGHs for testing aspheres. Ability to quantify the degree of difficulty in testing aspheres.
• Knowledge of uncertainty analysis principles and error budgeting principles as they apply to high-precision optics.
• Understanding the impact of gravitational, thermal, vibrational, and other environmental conditions on the performance of metrology equipment.
• Ability to define environmental conditions in which metrology instruments will be operating in that are necessary to deliver required performance specifications.
• Knowledgeable about laser and short coherence interferometry, white light profilometry, contact and non-contact profilometry.
• Ability to perform gauge R&R evaluation of metrology equipment including alignment sensitivity.  
• Ability to design new metrology systems working with mechanical, electrical, controls, and software experts.  
• Strong knowledge of metrology data analysis with emphasis on understanding how it impacts the information content of the results.
• Strong analytical and modeling skills, including computational skills.
• Hands-on experience building and aligning optical assemblies, acquire metrology data, and system troubleshooting.

Desired Skills

• Experience with freeform manufacturing and metrology methods.
• Experience with EUV, X-ray optics desirable.
• Experience with deflectometry.
• Knowledge and experience using optical modeling tools, such a CodeV, LightTools, Zemax, etc…
• Ability to program and perform data analysis in Python, Matlab, or other comparable language.
• Familiarity with phase analysis software platforms such as Zygo MetroPro, QED technologies QED.Net Toolkit (or equivalent).
• Application of Design of Experiment (DOE) and statistical data analysis methods.