Senior Silicon Crystal Growth Engineer for Ingots & Wafers

SpaceX; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Materials Engineer focused on silicon crystal growth for Starlink. You will own equipment specification, validate processes, and develop metrology for ingot/wafer production while driving quality and yield improvements.

Strong expertise in CZ growth, impurity control, and DOE/SPC is required, with ability to lead cross-functional teams. Advanced degree and 8+ years in photovoltaics, semiconductor, or crystal growth environments are highly valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in materials science, chemical engineering, or a STEM field.
• 5+ years of experience in semiconductor crystal growth manufacturing, research, or characterization.
• Master's degree or PhD in materials science, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with CZ crystal growth fundamentals, including thermal management, impurity control, and defect mitigation.
• In-depth knowledge of polysilicon feedstock, dopants, crucible materials, and their impact on ingot quality and yield.
• Proficiency in silicon ingot/wafer characterization techniques and equipment, including ICP-MS, GDMS, XRT, SEM/TEM, FTIR, resistivity mapping, and minority carrier lifetime testing (PL).
• Experience with Statistical Process Control (SPC), Design of Experiments (DOE), and manufacturing metrics (e.g., CPK, yield, OEE) in production environments.
• Demonstrated track record in developing new processes, improving efficiencies (e.g., pull rates, purity >9N), and successfully transferring to production in a rapidly growing, fast-paced environment.
• Proven cross-functional leadership skills, with experience aligning diverse teams to achieve shared technology goals.

Responsibilities

• Own the full lifecycle of equipment specification, validation, and process development for silicon ingot and wafer production.
• Specify and implement in-process and off-line metrology tools for quality control.
• Develop silicon ingot and wafer quality specifications; conduct testing and performance evaluation to ensure specifications are met.
• Lead root cause failure investigations to resolve process issues.
• Push material and crystal growth process limits to enable higher PV efficiency.
• Collaborate with leadership and stakeholders to drive scale-up plans from R&D to production of silicon ingots and wafers.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Root cause analysis

Team collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in materials science, chemical engineering, or a STEM field

Master's degree or PhD in materials science, chemical engineering, or related field

Tools

ICP-MS

GDMS

XRT

SEM/TEM

FTIR

Resistivity mapping

Minority carrier lifetime testing (PL)

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Materials Engineer focused on silicon crystal growth for Starlink. You will own equipment specification, validate processes, and develop metrology for ingot/wafer production while driving quality and yield improvements.

Strong expertise in CZ growth, impurity control, and DOE/SPC is required, with ability to lead cross-functional teams. Advanced degree and 8+ years in photovoltaics, semiconductor, or crystal growth environments are highly valued.