Physical Vapor Deposition Researcher — Lead Engineer

Application close date:

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As the Lead Physical Vapor Deposition Researcher, you will lead the development of physical vapor deposition processes for perovskite photovoltaic cells. You will be responsible for process development from first principles through statistical process control, owning recipe design, equipment specification, in-situ monitoring strategies, and yield optimization for your processes. You will lead and mentor other associate researchers and coordinate with the team to translate device architectures into robust process windows.
 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop and optimize PVD processes (thermal evaporation, co-evaporation, sputtering) for perovskite absorber layers, charge-transport layers, and transparent conductive oxides (TCOs)
• Drive innovation for new processes to improve device performance
• Design deposition recipes for different materials (e.g. multi-source co-evaporation recipes) for film deposition.
• Specify, commission, and qualify vacuum deposition equipment for perovskite-specific requirements (source types, substrate heating, in-situ monitoring)
• Develop in-situ process monitoring and feedback control strategies (QCM, optical reflectometry, residual gas analysis)
• Establish statistical process control (SPC) for critical film properties such as thickness uniformity, composition, crystallinity, resistivity, surface roughness
• Lead DOE campaigns to map process-structure-property relationships and define robust process windows
• Collaborate with the team to translate layer specifications into deposition recipes with appropriate tolerances
• Mentor and direct the work of 2 associate deposition researchers
• Develop and maintain process documentation, equipment maintenance protocols, and safety procedures for vacuum systems
• Analyze film characterization data (XRD, SEM, AFM, XPS, ellipsometry) to correlate process parameters with film quality

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

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