Cell Process Engineer (Wet Etch)

Qcells North America; Cartersville (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Qcells North America in Cartersville, GA seeks a Process Development Engineer (Wet) to advance wet-chemical processes that shape solar cell texture, reflectivity, and emitter characteristics. You will standardize procedures, analyze the process, and optimize chemical usage while coordinating with mass-production transitions.

The role emphasizes development of wet-process strategies, cost reduction, and reliability testing of proprietary technology, with collaboration across engineering teams and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Material Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 1 year experience in wet chemistry.
• Experience with DOE, SPC and process optimization preferred.
• Experience with micro-analysis tools (SEM, TEM, EDX) preferred.
• Strong data analysis using SQL and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and troubleshoot process performance; implement improvement plans.
• Reduce raw material consumption (KOH, HF, HCl, additives) while improving cell quality.
• Evaluate new production models; manage transition to mass production.
• Develop and test mass production reliability of proprietary tech.
• Provide SOPs and OCAPs; define process specifications and BOMs.
• Support other duties as assigned by management.

Skills

Process analysis

Statistical analysis

DOE

SQL & Excel

Data interpretation

Problem solving

English communication

Korean (optional)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in materials/chemistry/chemical engineering

B.S. with industrial/research experience

Tools

SEM

TEM

EDX

Statistical software

MS Office

Job description

Job Title: Process Development Engineer (Wet)

Department: Cell Process Technology Team

Location: Cartersville, GA

Job Purpose

Process Technology Team maintains and develops manufacturing process mainly to enhance overall production performance, including product characteristics, yield rate, production cost, etc. Process Engineer (Wet) is responsible for proper wet process performance, which affects texture and emitter characteristics and visual quality of surface. Using reaction between wafer and process chemicals, wet process reduce surface reflectivity by pyramid texturing, isolates front PSG layer by removing rear and side remaining layers, and cleanse wafer surface of dust and particles to protect contamination from external environment.

Key Accountabilities

• Core Responsibilities
• Process Maintenance
  • Establish standard parameters of wet process, such as chemical concentration, bath temperature, process time, chemical dosage, etc.
  • Analyze issues regarding solar-cell characteristics and production quality caused by wet process and establish preventive countermeasures.
• Process Optimization
  • Optimize surface etching and PSG (phosphosilicate glass) layer isolation and polishing performance.
  • Confirm optimal process performance with product characteristics, such as reflectivity or etch loss, measured with proper inspection device.
  • Decide optimal usage of wet process chemicals, which are KOH, HF, HCl, additives, etc.
• Process Development
  • Research wet process trend of state-of-the-art solar cell manufacturing technology.
  • Establish development plans of wet process to enhance solar-cell efficiency and production quality.

Main Responsibilities

Main tasks of Process Development Engineer should include but not limited to the following:

• Process Management
  • Analyze and troubleshoot process performance and establish improvement plans.
• Reduce raw material consumption, such as KOH, HF, HCl, Additive, etc.
  • Improve process impact on cell quality.
  • Train and evaluate performance of assigned Technicians.
• New Product Integration
  • Evaluate process setting and reliability of new production model in mass-production standpoint.
  • Manage transition process of new production model testing to mass-production.
• Process Development
  • Implement process development strategies, such as solar-cell efficiency improvement, manufacturing cost reduction, process material implementation, etc.
  • Research foundational technology through process analysis and testing.
  • Develop and test mass production reliability of proprietary technology.
• Process Standardization
  • Provide and train Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Out-of-Control Action Plans (OCAP).
  • Decide specification of process condition, chemicals, raw materials, etc.
  • Define process standard documents, such as Parameter Sheets (PAS) or Bill of Materials (BOM).
  • Establish standard process environment based on quality control standard.
  • Modify process setting based on solar cell quality requirements.
• All other duties assigned by management or that require immediate attention by Team member.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Material Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field
• B.S. with industrial/research experience in above fields.
• Minimum 1 years of experience in wet chemistry, preferably in CMP cleaning or wet process.
• Basic understanding in electrical and chemical characteristics of semiconductor
• Strong understanding in chemical solution characteristics and reactions
• Analysis skills of SQL and MS Office to interpret data and derive conclusions
• Experience in solar cell, semiconductor, display manufacturing, or related industry
• Ability to analyze process data and identify process-to-performance correlations using statistical or data analysis tools.
• Experience with DOE (Design of Experiments), SPC and process optimization is preferred.
• Experience with micro analysis tools, such as SEM, TEM, EDX, etc.
• Professional working proficiency in Korean is a plus, as the position involves reviewing technical documentation and collaborating with engineering teams and equipment suppliers that issue source materials in Korean. This is a preference only; all essential functions of this position can be performed in English.

Hanwha Q CELLSprovidesequal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics.