Opto-Mechanical Engineer

Xcimer Energy Corporation is looking for an opto-mechanical engineer to help us build state-of-the-art UV laser systems for nuclear fusion. We are a small, dynamic, and highly motivated team focused on the most plausible path to bringing fusion to the grid. You will have the opportunity to apply broad mechanical engineering skills and technical leadership to complex problems, and directly contribute to the design, build, and test of our laser and diagnostic systems.

Responsibilities
Your role will be concentrated on a wide range of technical mechanical and opto-mechanical engineering efforts to facilitate deep UV high energy laser beam transport culminating in inertial fusion energy. You will work closely with the optical engineering team, mechanical team, and controls systems engineers to ensure system through component level requirements are met while tracking performance from design to test and operation.

Minimum Qualifications

- B.S. degree in mechanical engineering, optical engineering, or related field
- 6+ years of direct opto-mechanical engineering experience
- Fluent in mechanical design software (SolidWorks preferred)
- Experience with FEA to map external influences to optical surface deformation including impacts from mount stress, thermal environment/gradients, and orientations with respect to gravity
- Experience in designing and characterizing precision optical mounts in the presence of base/external vibration and impulse sources defined by power spectral densities, including quantifying resonant modes and harmonics
- Experience in optical system / subsystem integration and implementation of alignment references for various optical elements including lenses, and flat/powered/off-axis mirrors.
- Experience in creating and maintaining interface control documents between optical mounts and other mechanical structures

Preferred Qualifications

- M.S. or Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering, optical engineering, or related field
- 15+ years of direct opto-mechanical engineering experience
- Proven track record of successful design, integration, and characterization of optical mounts for complex electro-optical systems
- Experience in active mount pointing for alignment recovery including slow and fast steering mirrors
- Experience in high energy optical systems working in the deep UV
Xcimer Energy Corporation is a startup pursuing baseload energy production from inertial fusion. We are using the same fundamental physics recently proven by the NIF (National Ignition Facility), made economically viable by Xcimer’s novel, low-cost laser architecture. Xcimer was founded in 2021 by a team of experts in high-energy laser systems, nuclear physics, and fusion engineering, and is backed by leading clean energy and deep-tech investors. Xcimer’s comprehensive, integrated design for a power plant has been analyzed and reviewed by independent experts and offers the most assured path to put fusion energy on the grid within 10 years. Xcimer is currently finalizing plans for construction of a prototype, multi-kJ laser facility to demonstrate critical aspects of the Xcimer laser architecture.