Pilot Photonics' Photonics Engineer, Chris McGuinness, is featured in this month's 'Shining a Spotlight on...' blog.
Where's home to you?
I've lived in Dublin my entire life, obtaining my degrees at UCD and joining Pilot Photonics in June 2022 as a Photonic Engineer working out of the Pilot lab and office in DCU Alpha, Glasnevin.
What projects do you work on at Pilot, and where does your work fit in to the company's operations?
I work on several projects at Pilot, including the nano-iTLA development, Silicon Nitride comb laser development for the European Space Agency as well as our EU and EIC projects COCOPOP and ADOPTION which are focussed on multi-wavelength lasers for CPO and AI datacentres. My primary work is focused on PIC and packaged laser testing, hardware design, system engineering, and demonstrator unit assembly. I also support other projects when software and PIC preparation is required in the lab.
What does a typical day look like for you?
There's not really any such thing as a typical day, it depends what the project priorities are at any given time.
As part of the European Space Agency project I'm working predominantly on the engineering work required to ensure that the different components in our micro ring resonator comb and demonstrator units work optimally together. As well as writing software for the components to interface with each other, I lead the assembly of the breadboard demonstrators for the applications of THz generation, and spectrometer calibration.
I also prepare devices for testing, die-bonding, wirebonding, etc and design mechanical test hardware and jogs - usually heat sinks and fastening hardware - when it's required by the team. And I write the control software for all new test equipment arriving into the lab, which is then distributed to the other team members.
What excites you about what we do at Pilot?
I enjoy seeing the progress of our projects: the first step I'm involved in is when new chip designs arrive in the lab for testing. After we've evaluated their performance, they get sent for packaging, following which we receive the packaged devices back in the lab for further testing. Once that stage of testing is complete, the devices are characterised and sent to customers for product trials. It's great to see the technology move from design through packaging to customer trials, and I'm really excited to see the company producing a larger volume of devices, carry out statistical analyses and really start to hone the designs and processes for volume manufacture.
What does a successful day look like?
A successful day for me is a day when our devices behave as they are intended to at the first attempt! But I also experience personal satisfaction from successfully overcoming some obstacle that was preventing a device from working properly. These challenges can occur in any part of the testing: with test equipment, test method, or with the PIC design or fabrication process, so a logical approach to identifying and solving blocks is essential, and it's always satisfying when I've been able to diagnose and then remove those blocks. It is always good to see the test results we generate in the lab being used to iterate and improve designs and overcome issues seen in initial testing.
What challenges/frustrations do you experience?
My main frustrations come from systems engineering: taking pieces of technology that don’t initially want to talk to each other at all and then making them communicate with each other fluently is frequently - and inevitably - challenging, particularly when pieces of equipment are removed from each other in terms of age, architecture and connector types. Solving these compatibility issues can be difficult and time-consuming as no two solutions will be alike, but every time these challenges are overcome, I've increased my experience and knowledge.
What do you particularly enjoy about being part of the Pilot team?
The best part about working at Pilot is that, in such a small team, everyone works closely together and everyone has developed their own specialism. I've thoroughly enjoyed being able to make my own role in the company and develop my skillset taking ownership of key areas within the company, such as particular processes or testbeds.
How do you enjoy your time when you're not at work?
I play a lot of sports and music in my spare time. Pretty much every evening is taken up with either rock climbing, individual music practice, or rehearsing with different bands and orchestras in preparation for concerts and performances throughout the year.
Since joining Pilot Photonics immediately after completing your Masters degree in Space Science, you've shown a real willingness to learn, hard work and dedication to your tasks. As a result, you have become a key member of the Pilot team, supporting many projects. We will continue to support your career growth.