Lead Solution-Processed Coatings Engineer

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Education support program

Job summary

Blue Origin is seeking a senior researcher to lead solution-based deposition development for perovskite absorbers and related layers. You will formulate precursors, optimize coating parameters, and design equipment for scalable manufacturing, aiming to establish robust process-structure-property relationships.

The role emphasizes DOE-guided experiments, in-line metrology, and scale-up from lab to pilot scale, ensuring high-quality films and reproducible coatings for space-grade devices.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in solution-processed thin-film deposition for photovoltaic, OLED, or printed electronics applications.
• Experience formulating functional precursors (perovskite, metal oxide, organic semiconductor, or nanoparticle).
• Strong understanding of film formation mechanisms from solution: solvent evaporation, nucleation and growth, anti-solvent crystallization.
• Hands‑on experience with rheology characterization and its relationship to coating quality.
• Track record of scaling solution-processed films from lab to pilot or production scale.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize solution-based deposition processes for perovskite absorber layers and charge transport materials.
• Formulate and characterize precursors: solvent systems, additive engineering, shelf-life stability.
• Design and commission coating equipment for perovskite-specific requirements (inert atmosphere, substrate heating, meniscus control, drying zones).
• Develop drying and annealing protocols (thermal, vacuum-assisted, gas quenching, anti-solvent) that control nucleation, grain growth, and crystallographic orientation.
• Map process-structure-property relationships through DOE campaigns correlating coating parameters with film morphology and device performance.
• Establish scalable coating processes with defined process windows, uniformity specifications, and in-line quality metrics.
• Develop defect classification and root-cause analysis methods for coating defects (pinholes, dewetting, thickness non-uniformity).
• Define scale-up pathway from lab-scale to pilot-scale continuous coating.

Skills

Solution-processed deposition

Precursor formulation

DOE optimization

Rheology characterization

Scale-up coating processes

In-line metrology knowledge

Education

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or Chemistry

Tools

Roll-to-roll coating

Sheet-to-sheet coating

Coating metrology equipment

Job description

Blue Origin is seeking a senior researcher to lead solution-based deposition development for perovskite absorbers and related layers. You will formulate precursors, optimize coating parameters, and design equipment for scalable manufacturing, aiming to establish robust process-structure-property relationships.

The role emphasizes DOE-guided experiments, in-line metrology, and scale-up from lab to pilot scale, ensuring high-quality films and reproducible coatings for space-grade devices.