Wet Etch Hood Design Engineer

The Company:

Solestial, Inc. is the solar energy company for space. Solestial’s core technology is a breakthrough ultra-thin silicon solar cell that can self-cure radiation damage at normal operating temperatures in space, packaged in a flexible, lightweight panel designed to achieve minimum degradation for up to 10 years in LEO. Solestial panels can be mass-produced using automated machines resulting in costs 90% lower than incumbent technologies, with virtually unlimited manufacturing capacity. From today’s satellite constellations and research projects to tomorrow’s utility-scale energy infrastructure and services in space, Solestial is powering the new space economy.

The Role:

As a Wet Etch Hood Design Engineer you will be working with the chemical, facilities, and 3rd party teams to assist in "cradle to grave" development of prototype wet processing equipment for cell and blanket fabrication lines. You will primarily work on hood layouts for custom processing tanks and equipment, as well as design routing for containment and drain systems into the facility reservoirs. Supply line outputs to the hood such as nitrogen and DI water need also be designed and routed throughout the hood. Secondary responsibilities include participating in design meetings with wet cassette teams for cassette integration into specific wet processing tanks, as well as other minor wet processing equipment. In this role, you will work with 3rd parties to achieve end goals such as tank and containment fabrication, sensor and controller integration, among others. When the hoods are in use, you will meet with chemistry teams and technicians to assess issues and plan future developments. You will also assist the transition of the developed wet processing equipment and tools to a new automated mass production line. This may include using CAD software to develop models of equipment and machine shop drawings, assembly and testing the developed tools. This role will expand from assisting in R&D design and fabrication of wet processing equipment to spearheading development and purchasing of future wet lines for larger production facilities as Solestial grows.

This is an exciting position as part of a positive, supportive, and passionate team! A competitive compensation package, including equity and full benefits (see below), will be offered.

Specific Responsibilities to Include:

• Obtain tooling and process requirements from cell and blanket chemistry teams.
• Design and optimize wet hood layouts for chemical tanks and supplementary processing equipment.
• Design and integrate hood input/output needs such as waste lines, proper gas/DI lines, and electrical requirements for components.
• Work with 3rd party engineering firms, machine shops and manufacturers to obtain necessary designs and fabricated components for the successful operation of the wet processing equipment.
• Continual collaboration with wet hood teams after completion of tasks to track issues and monitor status of designs.
• Eventual collaboration with internal engineering teams to automate specific wet hood processing steps.
• Grow with the role to eventually manage wet hood development for future manufacturing lines.
• Follow company documentation requirements.
• Assist with creation SOPs and train tool operators.
• Follow safety requirements and prevent accidents.
• Maintain a clean work environment.

Your Background:

• Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related fields.
• Master’s degree or equivalent experience is preferred.
• Experience with basic I/O electronic systems such as sensors, controllers, and user interfaces required.
• Experience with semiconductor or other industrial wet processing required.
• Knowledge of CAD systems (SolidWorks or AutoCAD preferred).
• Knowledge of cleanroom plastics and materials compatibilities, including fabrication methods preferred
• Experience with building linear mechanical systems (3D printers, CNCs, lasers, etc.) is a plus.
• Knowledge of air pressure dynamics in wet hoods is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to design new processing tools from scratch.
• Interest in wet chemical processing and developments
• Ability to work in a class 1,000 clean room environment.
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment.
• Strong analytical skills, basic data analysis and presentation, clear communication.
• Positive attitude.

Our Benefits:

• Generous, high-quality medical, dental and vision coverage on day one of employment
• A minimum of 20 days PTO and 10 paid holidays annually
• 401K with employer match up to 4% of salary
• Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability and employer-sponsored life insurance
• Please note: this is an onsite role at our Tempe, AZ office