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Optical Thin Film Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

As a member of the Advanced Optics Division Engineering Optical Thin Film Coating group, you will define and develop optical thin film coatings and manufacturing processes that build on Corning ...

Support current and develop new implementations of software supporting production optical thin film ... Collaborates with Thin Film Engineering team and incorporates feedback into current and future ...

As a member of the Advanced Optics Division Engineering Optical Thin Film Coating group, you will define and develop optical thin film coatings and manufacturing processes that build on Corning ...

As a member of the Advanced Optics Division Engineering Optical Thin Film Coating group, you will define and develop optical thin film coatings and manufacturing processes that build on Corning ...

The Coating Engineer provides engineering support for vacuum thin-film coating processes used in the manufacturing of optical components. This role working closely with other engineers and ...

Minimum 1-3 years of UV optical thin film production experience * Strong critical thinking skills to rapidly solve problems. * Strong written and oral communication skills. * Desire to solve problems ...

Minimum 1-3 years of UV optical thin film production experience * Strong critical thinking skills to rapidly solve problems. * Strong written and oral communication skills. * Desire to solve problems ...

Minimum 1-3 years of UV optical thin film production experience * Strong critical thinking skills to rapidly solve problems. * Strong written and oral communication skills. * Desire to solve problems ...

Processes include thin film metal deposition, laser drill, photolithography, electroless/electroplating, and wet chemical etching. Responsibility for factory and engineering support, creating and ...

Processes include thin film metal deposition, laser drill, photolithography, electroless/electroplating, and wet chemical etching. Responsibility for factory and engineering support, creating and ...

Manufacturing Engineer

Santa Rosa, CA · On-site

$79K - $102K/yr

The Manufacturing Engineer supports VIAVI's optics manufacturing team in developing, maintaining, and evolving advanced manufacturing processes for thin-film-based optical coatings. This role focuses ...

Showing results 21-40

Optical Thin Film Engineer information

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$83K

$143.6K

$168.5K

How much do optical thin film engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for optical thin film engineer in the United States is $143,611.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $129,000.00 and $167,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an optical thin film engineer?

To thrive as an Optical Thin Film Engineer, you need a solid background in physics, materials science, and optical engineering, typically supported by a relevant bachelor’s or advanced degree. Familiarity with thin film deposition techniques (such as sputtering or evaporation), optical simulation software (like TFCalc or FilmStar), and experience using metrology tools are highly valuable. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills are important soft skills for collaborating across multidisciplinary teams. These skills and qualities are crucial to ensure reliable design, fabrication, and testing of high-performance optical coatings meeting stringent industry standards.

What does an optical thin film engineer do?

An Optical Thin Film Engineer designs, develops, and optimizes thin film coatings used in optical systems, such as lenses, mirrors, and filters. They work with deposition techniques like evaporation, sputtering, or chemical vapor deposition to achieve precise optical properties. Their role involves simulation, characterization, and troubleshooting to ensure coatings meet performance specifications for applications in industries such as aerospace, telecommunications, and medical devices.

What are typical daily responsibilities for an optical thin film engineer?

As an Optical Thin Film Engineer, your daily responsibilities often include designing and simulating thin film coating stacks, setting up and optimizing deposition processes, and performing quality assurance measurements using advanced metrology equipment. You may also collaborate closely with R&D, manufacturing, and quality teams to troubleshoot issues and ensure products meet technical specifications. Regular tasks include maintaining documentation, analyzing test data, and suggesting continuous process improvements. This dynamic role offers hands-on lab work alongside opportunities for cross-functional teamwork and technical innovation.

More about Optical Thin Film Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Optical Thin Film Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Optical Thin Film Engineer job openings:
What states have the most Optical Thin Film Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Optical Thin Film Engineer jobs include:
Infographic showing various Optical Thin Film Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $143,611 per year, or $69 per hour.

Optical Coating Engineer

Corning

Fairport, NY • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 27 days ago


Corning rating

8.2

Company rating: 8.2 out of 10

Based on 128 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

87th of 537 rated manufacturers


Job description

Requisition Number: 74909

The company built on breakthroughs. 
Join us.           
       

Corning is one of the world's leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what's possible. 

How do we do this? With our people. They break through limitations and expectations- not once in a career, but every day. They help move our company,and the world, forward. 

At Corning, there are endless possibilities for making an impact. You can help connect the unconnected, drive the future of automobiles, transform at-home entertainment, and ensure the delivery of lifesaving medicines. And so much more. 

Come break through with us. 

Corning's businesses are ever-evolving to best serve our customers, industries, and consumers. Today, we accelerate and transform life sciences, mobile consumer electronics, optical communications, display, automotive, and solar markets. We are changing the world with: 

  • Trusted products that accelerate drug discovery, development, and delivery to save lives
  • Damage-resistant cover glass to enhance the devices that keep us connected
  • Optical fiber, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions to carry information and ideas at the speed of light
  • Precision glass for advanced displays to deliver richer experiences 
  • Auto glass and ceramics to drive cleaner, safer, and smarter transportation 
  • Solar polysilicon, wafers, and innovative photovoltaic modules, enabling low-cost solar energy solutions

Scope of Position:

As a member of the Advanced Optics Division Engineering Optical Thin Film Coating group, you will define and develop optical thin film coatings and manufacturing processes that build on Corning's existing knowledge base to move products into coating production.

This is a hands-on engineering / manufacturing role working in collaboration with the Division Engineering Optical Design, Mechanical Design, and System Test teams, as well as the Development Engineering, Plant Engineering, and Program Management teams.

Major Responsibilities:

  • Design robust, cost-effective coating production processes using existing methods that meet customer specifications.  Specify cleaning, material handling, storage procedures, and metrology methods to characterize coating performance within the coating process flow.  Manage coating designs and process recipe portfolio.
  • Transfer knowledge of new coating designs, processes, and product characteristics into manufacturing.  Provide training as needed, create coating recipes, work instructions, process sheets, and define measurement requirements for new products.
  • Interface with Development and Optical Design teams to understand new coating fundamentals and processing requirements.  Comprehension of coating properties impact to system-level performance specifications; analyze technical trade-offs and risks.
  • Utilize in-house developed software to model system-level coating performance; transmission uniformity, polarization and retardance characteristics, coating thickness variation, and perform tolerancing studies and Monte Carlo simulations.
  • Engage with Mechanical Design team to design and fabricate prototype and production optical element tooling, customized coating chamber hardware, and metrology tools.
  • Provide engineering support to Division Engineering Technicians; define test activities, process set-up, hardware evaluation, measurements, and analysis of results.
  • Assist Program Management to estimate costs, labor hours, and manage overall coating aspects of projects.  Provide input for process and product transfer tollgates.  Participate in weekly project meetings; customer and design review meetings; experienced working directly with customers.
  • Support System Test team with customized coatings for test benches and other metrology applications.
  • Utilize Design for Manufacturing principles to determine optimal manufacturing strategies and Manufacturing Engineering Excellence (MEE) practices to solve technical problems and formulate mechanistic understanding of coating processes.
  • Lead projects and activities furthering coating technology and metrology capabilities, and document intellectual property via internal reports, invention disclosures, and patent applications.

Required Education and Experience:

  • B.S. degree (M.S. preferred) in Optical Science / Eng, Physics, Materials Science, Chemical Eng, Ceramic Eng, Mechanical Eng.
  • 5+ years of optical coating design and manufacturing, ideally in the UV and visible wavelength ranges.

Desired Skills and Experience:

  • Coating and optical design / modeling software experience - FilmStar, OptiLayer, WVASE, UniformityPro, Code V.
  • Thin film characterization - spectrophotometer, ellipsometer, SEM, TEM, FTIR, SIMS, MIL spec testing.
  • Electron beam, thermal evaporation, and ion-assisted deposition.  High-vacuum practice; vacuum chamber operation, system control, and support equipment.
  • Experience with optical substrate materials; optics handling, cleaning, and inspecting.
  • Contamination control and cleanroom operations.
  • Experienced specifying capital equipment configuration and acceptance testing.
  • Programming (MATLAB, Python, MS Excel).
  • Excellent mechanical ability.  Experienced with mechanical design and fabrication techniques.  Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings and specifications.
  • Strong written and oral communication skills.
  • Critical thinking to solve problems quickly and efficiently.  Determine root cause by leveraging Statistical and Hypothesis Tree problem solving methodologies.
  • Ability to interact within a team of multi-disciplinary engineers and at all levels of the organization (Production Technicians to Senior Leadership).

Travel Requirements:

  • Less than 10%.  Typical travel includes training, networking opportunities, customer visits, technical conferences, and benchmarking activities as required.

Hours of work:

  • Typical first shift production hours, M - F, 8AM - 5PM.  Extra and off-hours may be required during times of heightened project activity to meet deliverables.

This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

The range for this position is $112,902.00 - $155,240.00 assuming full time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education. 

A job that shapes a life. 

Corning offers you the total package. 

Your well-being is our priority. Our compensation and benefits package supports your health and wellness, financial aspirations, and career from day one.

  • Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives align with key business results and ensure you are rewarded when the company performs well. When Corning wins, we all win.
  • As part of our commitment to your financial well-being, we provide a 100% company-paid pension benefit with fixed contributions that grow throughout your career. Combined with matching contributions to your 401(k) savings plan, Corning's total contributions to your retirement accounts can reach between 7% and 12% of your pay, depending on your age and years of service.
  • Our health and well-being benefits include medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, family building support, fitness, company-paid life insurance, disability, disease management programs, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your family.  
  • Getting paid for our work is important, but feeling appreciated and recognized for those contributions motivates us much more. That's why Corning offers a recognition program to celebrate successes and reward colleagues who make exceptional contributions. 

We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected status.

Corning is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and considers requests for reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs may request reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, perform essential job functions, or access other benefits and privileges of employment. To submit a request for reasonable accommodation related to disability or religion, please contact us at accommodations@corning.com.


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