Process Engineer
Tandem PV•Fremont, CA
•Onsite
About The Position
The Process Engineer supports development of our thin-film deposition processes, primarily PVD and CVD techniques. Working alongside senior process engineers, the role covers the full experimental cycle: depositing films, characterizing them, analyzing the results, and applying those results to the next round of experiments. Work spans both R&D and pilot-scale tools as processes move toward production.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM field, or equivalent hands-on experience
- Hands-on experience in industry or academia with vacuum thin-film deposition — PVD and CVD techniques such as sputtering, evaporation, or ALD
- Ability to independently analyze experimental data — take a dataset, produce clear plots, and draw supportable conclusions. Requires proficiency with Excel or Google Sheets and a solid working command of basic statistics: enough to summarize a dataset and distinguish a real effect from measurement scatter.
- Careful, methodical approach to running experiments and recording what actually happened, including deviations from plan
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced R&D environment with shifting priorities and frequent troubleshooting
Nice To Haves
- Working knowledge of vacuum technology, thin-film growth mechanisms, and plasma fundamentals
- Metrology experience — ellipsometry, four-point probe, transport, profilometry, XRD, XRF, SEM, XPS
- Exposure to design of experiments (DOE) or statistical process control (SPC)
- Familiarity with perovskite photovoltaics, semiconductors, or thin-film device stacks
- Experience with Python, R, MATLAB, JMP, or Origin is a plus.
Responsibilities
- Execute experiments and DOEs on R&D and pilot-scale tools, varying process parameters to determine their effect on film properties
- Analyze experimental data, summarize findings, and contribute to the design of follow-up experiments
- Characterize films using standard thin-film metrology, including ellipsometry, UV-Vis, and four-point probe
- Support scale-up of deposition processes from R&D to pilot to high-volume manufacturing
- Assist with bring-up and qualification of newly installed deposition tools
- Troubleshoot hardware and process issues, and work with engineers to stabilize process windows
- Perform routine preventive maintenance on deposition and metrology tools, including chamber cleans, source and target changes, and leak checks
- Present experimental results and recommendations to the process engineering team
- Collaborate with device fabrication, characterization, and equipment teams on experiment planning, sample handoffs, and interpreting downstream results
- Draft standard operating procedures (SOPs), run logs, and experimental logs
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
