PECVD Process Engineer, Solar Cells (Starlink)

Spacex; United States; A distancia; USD 120.000 - 190.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

SpaceX is seeking a PECVD Process Engineer for Starlink solar cells to lead the development and scaling of plasma-enhanced deposition processes. You will drive equipment qualification, recipe development, and process optimization to achieve high-efficiency SHJ cells for space applications.

The role requires strong hands-on experience in PECVD, vacuum systems, and thin-film characterization, with a focus on bridging design to manufacturing in a high-volume environment.

Formación

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 1+ years of experience in system design, analysis, and/or system implementation (internship and extracurricular experience is applicable).
• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, physics, or related technical discipline.

Responsabilidades

• Design, qualify and optimize PECVD processes for SHJ passivation and doped layers with uniform films and low defectivity.
• Lead tool and material development: gas chemistry, plasma power, pressure, temperature, and electrode gap for high-efficiency cells.
• Own chamber conditioning: seasoning, plasma clean recipes, and intervals to control particles and uptime.
• Collaborate with CVD Equipment Engineering for tool qualification and throughput improvements.
• Develop and maintain manufacturing processes, equipment, technologies, and facilities.
• Analyze production with first-principles physics-based approaches.
• Design experiments using DOE to improve optical and electrical quality of solar cells.
• Characterize defects and determine root causes to improve yields.
• Plan budgets and cost/benefit analyses for new processes or machines.
• Lead machine activation and testing with a small team of engineers and technicians.
• Prepare content for technical design reviews and own production outcomes.

Conocimientos

PECVD process engineering

SHJ passivation

Vacuum & plasma physics

DOE & statistics

Cross-functional teamwork

Thin-film silicon

Educación

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's or PhD preferred

Herramientas

CVD equipment

Spectroscopic ellipsometry

Raman spectroscopy

FTIR

Sinton lifetime

Descripción del empleo

the company was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today the company is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal ofenabling human life on Mars.

PECVD PROCESS ENGINEER, SOLAR CELLS (STARLINK)

Starlink believes in providing fast, reliable internet to those that need it most. We design, build, and launch the world's largest and most advanced satellite constellation that is capable of delivering high-speed internet to even the most remote locations.

As a solar cell process engineer on Starlink, you will spearhead state of the art production processes for an internal solar cell production line, providing high efficiency and high-quality solar cells for both our latest generation Starlink satellites and for Starship missions to the Moon and Mars. You will work through the life cycle of setting up a greenfield solar cell production plant, including equipment procurement, plant design/layout, equipment commissioning and ramp-up, recipe and process development, and working to develop a world-class production team and environment.

As a PECVD Process Engineer, you will own the development, optimization, and scaling of Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) processes critical for depositing the intrinsic and doped hydrogenated amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon layers that passivate the wafer surface and form the carrier-selective contacts of high-efficiency SHJ cells. You will develop and iterate on the manufacturing processes and recipes to achieve a state-of-the-art silicon cell efficiency, low defect rate and cost, and high reliability cell for space-based applications. Your work will form the backbone of the Starlink network (photons of sunlight in is directly proportional to photons of data out to customers!) and help provide internet to tens of millions of customers all around the world.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, qualify, and optimize PECVD processes for SHJ intrinsic passivation layers and p-type/n-type doped layers, ensuring film thickness uniformity, passivation quality (minority carrier lifetime, implied Voc), doping efficiency, and contact resistivity at GW-scale volumes

• Lead process development for new toolsets and materials, including gas chemistry, plasma power and frequency, pressure, temperature, and electrode gap optimization to support state of the art efficiency cells

• Own chamber conditioning strategy, including seasoning, in-situ/remote plasma clean recipes, and clean intervals, to control particles, cross-contamination, and run-to-run drift while maximizing tool uptime

• Partner closely with the CVD Equipment Engineering team on tool qualification, chamber matching, preventive maintenance recovery, and throughput (UPH) improvements

• Responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining new and/or improved manufacturing processes, equipment, technologies, and facilities

• Analyze production processes and machinery from a first principles, physics-based approach

• Develop experiments to diagnose and correct manufacturing problems, utilizing robust DOE and statistical methodologies. Optimize process conditions and materials to improve the optical and electrical quality of solar cells

• Perform defect characterization and analysis to determine root cause and develop action plans to improve yields

• Develop project plans, budgets, and cost/benefit analysis for implementation of new processes or machines

• Own and perform machine activation and testing with a small team of engineers and technicians

• Prepare detailed content for technical design reviews. Demonstrate extreme ownership of the production outcome of the Starlink solar factory across yield, uptime, and cost

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline

• 1+ years of experience in system design, analysis, and/or system implementation (internship and extracurricular experience is applicable)

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, physics, or related technical discipline

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in PECVD process engineering, preferably in SHJ/HJT or TOPCon solar, semiconductor, or display manufacturing

• Proven track record of scaling PECVD processes to high-volume production (>1GW/year equivalent)

• Strong understanding of vacuum systems, plasma physics, gas-phase and surface chemistry, and thin-film growth of amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon

• Deep understanding of SHJ surface passivation and carrier-selective contacts, including epitaxial growth suppression, hydrogen content and bonding, and band alignment at the a-Si:H/c-Si interface

• Hands-on experience with thin-film and PV characterization techniques (e.g., spectroscopic ellipsometry, FTIR, Raman crystallinity, dark/photo conductivity, Sinton lifetime, PL/EL)

• Experience safely handling pyrophoric, toxic, and flammable process gases (e.g., silane, phosphine, diborane)

• Experience with SPC, DoE, and lean manufacturing principles

• Ability to work in a cleanroom environment

• Hands-on experience working with complex fluid or mechanical based production systems in a professional setting

• Experience transitioning products from design to manufacturing and scaling to high volume as part of a cross-functional team

• Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills

• Experience with solar cell manufacturing equipment,