Sr. Materials Engineer, Silicon Wafer Engineering (Starlink)

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

SR. MATERIALS ENGINEER, SILICON WAFER ENGINEERING (STARLINK)

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 wafer production for Starlink solar cells. You will serve as the technical owner for wafer quality and production readiness, ensuring materials and processes meet space-grade performance and reliability requirements.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead initial equipment selection and commissioning for wafer slicing, cleaning, degumming, and inspection, defining operational standards.
• Collaborate closely with solar engineering, reliability, production, and supply chain teams to translate mission requirements into wafer specifications.
• Own the initial development and qualification of wafer processes (ingot cropping, slicing, cleaning, degumming, surface conditioning), ensuring low-defect, high-reliability wafers.
• Qualify supplier materials (slurries, wires, adhesives, wet process chemicals) to ensure contamination-free wafers.
• Define environmental controls, metrology tools, and inspection strategies to maintain high-quality wafer standards.
• Correlate metrology data to device performance and reliability, establishing acceptance criteria.
• Drive defect reduction through root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous process optimization.
• Support capacity expansion and factory layout decisions to facilitate high-volume wafer manufacturing.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to junior engineers and technicians.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in materials science or chemical engineering.
• 5+ years of experience in semiconductor wafer manufacturing or semiconductor processing.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master's degree or PhD in materials science, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of hands-on work experience in silicon wafer manufacturing (photovoltaics or compound semiconductor sectors preferred).
• Strong foundation in silicon materials science, semiconductor defect mechanisms, surface chemistry, stress and fracture mechanics.
• In-depth knowledge of silicon ingot slicing and cleaning processes, consumables, and equipment.
• Experience commissioning and qualifying semiconductor manufacturing or inspection equipment.
• Experience with analyzing contamination (metallic, organic, and particulate), crystal damage (microcracks, chips), and their impact on wafer optical and electrical properties.
• Operational and analytical proficiency with wafer bulk and surface characterization equipment, including ICP-MS, TXRF, SIMS, FTIR, GC-MS, SEM, resistivity mapping, and minority carrier lifetime testing (PL).
• Demonstrated success scaling processes from R&D to high-volume manufacturing in a rapidly growing, fast-paced environment.
• Working knowledge of statistical process control (SPC), DOE, and data-driven yield analysis.
• 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.

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected].