PECVD Process Engineer, Solar Cells (Starlink)

Bastrop, TX · 1+ years experience · Remote · Posted Oct 16, 2026

At a glance

As a solar cell process engineer on Starlink, you will spearhead state of the art production processes for an internal solar cell production line.
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.

Design, qualify, and optimize PECVD processes for SHJ intrinsic passivation layers and p-type/n-type doped layers, ensuring film thickness uniformity, passivation quality, 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
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

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
1+ years of experience in system design, analysis, and/or system implementation
Ability to travel frequently for work, potentially for extended periods of time during machine buyoffs and startup
Ability to lift 25 lbs. unassisted
Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed

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)
Experience with solar cell manufacturing equipment
Experience or expertise with perovskite solar cells or perovskite tandem solar cells
Proficiency in data analysis/scripting (Python, R, SQL) and plasma or device simulation tools
Passion for sustainable energy and space technology; prior work in photovoltaics at GW-scale a plus

Ability to travel frequently for work, potentially for extended periods of time during machine buyoffs and startup

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