Chemical Texturing Equipment Engineer, Solar Cells (Starlink)

About the role

SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make human life on Mars possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars. Starlink believes in providing fast, reliable internet to those that need it most. As a Chemical Texturing Equipment Engineer, you will own the chemical processing equipment used to manufacture silicon heterojunction solar cells at massive scale.

Responsibilities

• Work with facilities and process engineering teams to install, qualify, maintain, and continuously improve high-throughput texturing and preclean equipment for heterojunction silicon solar cell manufacturing
• Drive equipment reliability and uptime to support very large volume production with minimal downtime
• Run experiments and analyze data to improve capacity, reduce tool-to-tool variation, and improve defect performance
• Develop and execute robust preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, spare parts programs, and tool matching protocols for high-volume manufacturing
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions on all equipment-related issues
• Partner closely with Process Engineers to implement new process requirements on existing and future equipment platforms
• Evaluate and select next-generation high-throughput texturing tools capable of supporting 1GW+ per tool scale production
• Work with vendors on equipment design improvements, upgrades, and custom solutions tailored to heterojunction solar cell requirements
• Establish equipment performance metrics and implement statistical process control for hardware stability
• Analyze production processes and machinery from a first principles, physics-based approach
• Attend meetings to communicate factory state to leadership with respect to the team’s equipment

Qualifications

The basic qualifications for this role include a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related technical discipline, and 2+ years of hands-on experience owning and maintaining chemical process equipment in a high-volume semiconductor, solar manufacturing, or related environment.

Skills

• 5+ years of hands-on experience owning and maintaining chemical process equipment in a high-volume semiconductor or solar manufacturing environment
• Strong technical expertise in chemical delivery systems, wet process equipment, pumps, filtration, temperature control hardware, robotics, and automation
• Demonstrated success improving equipment uptime and reliability in a 24/7 high-volume production setting
• Experience with heterojunction (HJT) silicon solar cell manufacturing equipment
• Deep knowledge of texturing tool architecture and subsystems
• Experience with chemical concentration control, bath lifetime optimization, rinse systems, dryer systems, and particle control
• Experience with electro-pneumatic robot and transfer module systems
• Experience with hazardous chemical delivery, handling, and abatement systems
• Proficiency with statistical tools, failure analysis techniques, and reliability engineering principles
• Strong project management skills with the ability to drive complex equipment installations and qualifications

Additional Requirements

• Must be able to work extended hours and weekends as needed to support production and urgent equipment downtime situations
• Ability to lift 25 lbs unassisted, work in cleanroom environments, and move between multiple production areas
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally to vendor sites (up to 20%)