Internship: Laser-Based PV Wafer Recovery & Recycling

TNO; Eindhoven; Hybrid; EUR 614,000 - 759,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

€615 monthly internship allowance

Travel contribution

Jong TNO membership

Mentorship and professional learning

Job summary

TNO on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven invites MSc students to join an internship focused on recovering wafers from open PV module stacks. You will work on accessing valuable silver and high-purity silicon, exploring chemical and physical separation routes, and characterising materials and interfaces with SEM/EDS and microscopy.

The role blends hands-on experiments with data analysis, with outcomes contributing to sustainable recycling technologies.

Qualifications

• Background in chemistry or materials science.
• Good hands-on skills, including with light chemistry.
• Must be affiliated with a university during the internship.
• Duration: minimum 3–4 months, preferably 6+, MSc phase preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop wafer separation methods after delamination to access silver and silicon.
• Characterise materials and interfaces using SEM/EDS, optical microscopy, and related techniques.
• Analyse data, formulate hypotheses and design experiments to test them.
• Balance hands-on experiments with data analysis and interpretation.

Skills

Chemistry background

Materials science

Hands-on skills

Education

University affiliation required

Tools

SEM/EDS

Optical microscopy

Peel testing

DSC

TGA

Job description

TNO on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven invites MSc students to join an internship focused on recovering wafers from open PV module stacks. You will work on accessing valuable silver and high-purity silicon, exploring chemical and physical separation routes, and characterising materials and interfaces with SEM/EDS and microscopy.

The role blends hands-on experiments with data analysis, with outcomes contributing to sustainable recycling technologies.