PVD Equipment Engineer, Solar Cells (Starlink)

About the role

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 PVD Equipment Engineer, you will own the PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition / sputtering) equipment used to manufacture silicon heterojunction solar cells at massive scale. You will work closely with our existing PVD Process Engineering team to ensure world-class equipment performance, reliability, and uptime. While the process team focuses on film properties (e.g., TCO layers), sheet resistance, and cell efficiency, you will be the hardware owner responsible for tool availability, stability, and scaling to support our ambitious goals.

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. You will spearhead state of the art production equipment 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.

Responsibilities

• Work with facilities and process engineering teams to install, qualify, maintain, and continuously improve high-throughput PVD 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 (UPH), 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, including vacuum systems, sputtering cathodes/targets, RF/DC power supplies, gas delivery, temperature control, and automation
• Partner closely with Process Engineers to implement new process requirements on existing and future equipment platforms
• Evaluate and select next-generation high-throughput PVD 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 (OEE, MTBF, MTTR) and implement statistical process control for hardware stability
• Ensure all equipment meets cleanroom, safety, and high-reliability manufacturing standards
• 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

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, or other engineering discipline
• 2+ years of hands-on experience owning and maintaining PVD or sputtering equipment in a high-volume semiconductor, solar manufacturing, or related environment
• Experience handling flammable, toxic, corrosive, and/or hazardous chemicals and gases safely

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on experience owning and maintaining PVD or sputtering equipment in a high-volume semiconductor or solar manufacturing environment
• Strong technical expertise in vacuum systems, sputtering cathodes, RF/DC power supplies and matching networks, gas delivery, mass flow controllers, and temperature control hardware
• Demonstrated success improving equipment uptime and reliability in a 24/7 high-volume production setting
• Experience with heterojunction (HJT) silicon solar cell manufacturing equipment
• Previous work at high-volume solar, semiconductor, or display manufacturing facilities (multi-GW or 300mm fab experience is a plus)
• Deep knowledge of PVD tool architecture and subsystems
• Experience with throttle valve PID tuning, leak rate measurements, helium leak checking, manometer adjustment, slit valve and actuator troubleshooting, etc. Experience with CDA controlled valving and equipment
• Experience with electro-pneumatic robot and transfer module systems
• Experience with target bonding/life management, chamber clean optimization, and power supply qualification
• Experience with RF/DC generators and impedance matching systems
• Experience scaling equipment from pilot to very high volume production
• Proficiency with statistical tools (JMP, Minitab), failure analysis techniques, and reliability engineering principles
• Strong project management skills with the ability to drive complex equipment installations and qualifications
• Familiarity with high-reliability manufacturing standards for aerospace applications

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%)

Itar Requirements

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.