Physical Vapor Deposition Researcher — Lead Engineer
Core
Lead the development of physical vapor deposition processes for perovskite photovoltaic cells, from first principles through statistical process control, owning recipe design, equipment specification, and yield optimization.
Role type
Lead Physical Vapor Deposition Researcher (Materials Engineering)
Builds
Perovskite absorber layers, charge-transport layers, and transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) for photovoltaic applications
Domain
Aerospace / Photovoltaics / Vacuum Thin-Film Deposition
Required skills
Vacuum thin-film deposition (thermal evaporation, sputtering, co-evaporation), Process physics (nucleation, growth kinetics, film stress), Equipment specification and commissioning, Statistical process control (SPC), Design of Experiments (DOE), Thin-film characterization (XRD, SEM, AFM, XPS, ellipsometry), Team leadership and mentoring
Preferred skills
Perovskite film deposition (organic/metal halides), Hybrid sequential deposition methods, TCO deposition (ITO, FTO, AZO), In-situ optical monitoring, Space environment degradation mechanisms, Scaling processes from R&D to larger substrates
Technologies
QCM, Optical reflectometry, Residual gas analysis, Load-locks, Cryo/turbo pumps, XRD, SEM, AFM, XPS, Ellipsometry, 4-point probe
Responsibilities
Develop and optimize PVD processes for perovskite absorber layers, charge-transport layers, and TCOs; Design deposition recipes for different materials; Specify and qualify vacuum deposition equipment; Develop in-situ process monitoring and feedback control strategies; Establish statistical process control for critical film properties; Lead DOE campaigns to map process-structure-property relationships; Mentor and direct the work of associate researchers; Analyze film characterization data to correlate process parameters with film quality
Seniority
Lead Engineer, hands-on IC with mentorship responsibilities