Optical Engineer

Xcimer Energy leverages decades of research on Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) combined with groundbreaking new laser architecture. Our mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. Xcimer has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by leading investors, Xcimer is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. Join us in powering a better world with inertial fusion!   This is a full-time, onsite role based at our headquarters in Denver, CO.   As a Senior Stray Light Optical Engineer, you will be the primary technical authority on non-sequential ray tracing and stray light mitigation. Your work will focus on modeling and designing complex optical layouts to identify and mitigate ghosts, hot spots, fringing effects, and other parasitic light paths that could degrade system performance or cause optical damage. 

In this highly collaborative role, you will work closely with sequential optical designers, opto-mechanical engineers, material scientists, and optical systems engineers. You will implement mechanical feature models (e.g., baffles, beam dumps) directly into non-sequential software to validate their effectiveness. You will also write custom scripts to automate complex analyses and process large datasets, ensuring our high-energy DUV systems operate safely and efficiently. 

Responsibilities

• Perform comprehensive non-sequential ray tracing (primarily using FRED software) to analyze stray light, ghost reflections, scattering, and diffraction in high-energy DUV laser systems.
• Identify and mitigate high-fluence "hot spots" and fringing effects to prevent optical damage and ensure system longevity.
• Implement and evaluate mechanical feature models (such as baffles, apertures, and beam dumps) within non-sequential environments to actively mitigate stray light.
• Write and maintain custom scripts (e.g., Python, MATLAB, or FRED script) to automate ray trace simulations, process large datasets, interface to other analysis tools and quantify system-level signal degradation.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with sequential optical designers to optimize system layouts for stray light performance.
• Work closely with opto-mechanical engineers to design and validate physical stray light mitigation hardware.
• Partner with material scientists to evaluate Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Functions (BSDF/BRDF), surface roughness, and specialized UV-resilient absorptive coatings/materials.
• Collaborate with Optical Systems Engineers to ensure stray light requirements are defined, met, and verified at the system level for ICF applications.