Sr. Materials Engineer, Silicon Crystal Growth (Starlink)

About the role

Starlink, our revolutionary satellite constellation, will deliver low-latency broadband internet worldwide. We are committed to offering access to high-speed internet to customers and are looking for a Materials Engineer to utilize their knowledge, experience, and creativity to solve materials and processing challenges in silicon crystal growth and wafer production for Starlink solar cells.

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.

Basic 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.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Master's degree or PhD in materials science, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of professional work experience (photovoltaics, semiconductor, or crystal growth sectors preferred).
• Expertise in 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.

Additional Requirements

• Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% time.
• Work performed in an environment requiring exposure to fumes, odors, and noise.
• Comfort occasionally working in tight or confined spaces.

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.