Development Engineer I

First Solar reserves the right to offer you a role most applicable to your experience and skillset.

Basic Job Functions:

• Perform material and device research to enhance thin film solar cell performance and stability and to reduce manufacturing cost.
• Responsible for projects or functions that are highly complex require significant innovation and critical to department objectives.
• Plan, execute and characterize development engineering experiments in the laboratory and manufacturing environment with strategic foresight. Drives actions with strategic foresight.
• Applies statistical and engineering methods to optimize organizational effectiveness. Improves methods for use by others.

Education/Experience:

• Associate's Degree in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 10 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as an Associate Engineer or Development Engineer Technician III at First Solar.
• Bachelor's Degree in an engineering or material science discipline and 3 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as an Associate Engineer or Development Engineer Technician III at First Solar.
• Master's Degree in an engineering or material science discipline and 1 year of relevant technical experience or 2 year of experience as an Associate Engineer at First Solar.

Required Skills/Competencies:

• Required experience:
  • Hands-on experience in laser-scribing development, laser equipment operation/troubleshooting for thin film devices.
  • Good insight for thin film materials, multilayer device structures, and experience with process integration in relevant fields (PV, display, semiconductor)
  • Ability to experimental design, data analysis, and root-cause analysis to optimize processes.
  • Working knowledge with characterization methods, such as microscopy, profilometry, or electrical testing, SEM, XRD, TOFSIMS, XRF, Ellipsometry etc.
  • Strong technical documentation (SOP, QCP, training matrix), communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  • Familiarity with DOE and statistical analysis tools such as JMP, Minitab, MATLAB, or Python.
  • Familiarity with AutoCad for precision design
• Preferred experience:
  • Experience with perovskite solar cells or modules.
  • Experience with inkjet printhead operation, waveform optimization, jetting stability, and functional inks.
  • Ability to correlate laser and printing processes with PV device efficiency, FF, resistance, yield, and reliability, and implement improvement
  • Experience transferring processes from laboratory development to pilot-line or manufacturing environments.
• Ability to work independently with no supervision.
• Ability to follow Safe Work Practices. Full understanding of LOTO.
• Ability to communicate on a regular basis with all levels of associates.
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills.
• Demonstrated strength in critical thinking, attention to detail.
• Good team player, accountable, agile, and go-getter.
• Willing to work after hours or long hours when responding to deadlines or urgent situations.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Owner of patterning process development for perovskite solar modules, including laser scribe process and inkjet print process.
• Develop, optimize, and qualify laser-scribing processes for perovskite solar cells and interconnected modules.
  • Evaluate nano-, pico-, and femtosecond laser technologies for selective material removal. Evaluate laser sources, beam-delivery optics, galvanometer scanners, translation stages, vision systems, extraction systems, and process-monitoring technologies.
  • Establish robust process windows for scribes, edge deletion, perimeter isolation, contact opening processes, without damaging underlying electrodes, substrates, or adjacent functional layers. Minimize laser-induced defects.
  • Optimize laser parameters, such as wavelength, pulse duration and energy, repetition rate, scan speed, pulse overlap, spot size, beam profile, focus position, number of passes, etc.
  • Develop alignment strategies between laser patterns, printed features, coated layers, and substrate fiducials, etc.
  • Optimize layout, including scribe width, overlap, and interconnect geometry to maximize active area, module geometric resistance , & efficiency.
  • Establish SOP and PM procedure for laser processes and tool maintenance.
  • Troubleshoot laser process related issues, improve yield and thruput.
  • Extra responsibility may include development of inkjet print process
  • Evaluate printheads, nozzle technologies, fluid-delivery systems, waveform-control capabilities, drop-watchers, substrate handling, and environmental controls.
  • Develop stable jetting conditions by optimizing: printhead waveform, drop volume and velocity, jetting frequency, ink/printhead temperature, nozzle-to-substrate distance, printing speed, drop spacing, print resolution, number of passes, printing sequence and direction, etc.
  • Characterize ink properties, including viscosity, surface tension, density, particle size and distribution, solvent evaporation behavior, shelf life, chemical compatibility with printhead components, etc.
  • Optimize interactions among ink, substrate, and deposited device layers.
  • Control wetting, coalescence, drying, crystallization, and surface/interface quality.
  • Optimize drying, annealing, curing, or photonic post-treatment to achieve required film properties without degrading sensitive device structures underneath.
  • Develop alignment strategies for area selective printing or patterning.
  • Prevent and resolve printing issues, including missing jets, nozzle clogging, satellite droplets, non-uniform line width, line breaks, etc.
  • Develop SOP and PM procedure.
• Support laser scribe and inkjet print operations. Own and respond to urgent tool recovery needs.
• Comply with Company's Environmental, Quality, Safety or any other policies that have been enforced.
• Other duties as assigned
• Job description subject to change at any time.

Reporting Relationships:

• Reports to Development Engineer III or Manager- Device Research

• May have direct reports.

Travel:

• Up to 10% domestic and international

Estimated Salary Range:

• 89,440 USD per year- 127, 400 USD per year

US Physical Requirements:

• Will sit, stand or walk short distances for up to the entire duration of a shift.
• Will climb stairs on an occasional basis.
• Will lift, push or pull up to 37 pounds on an occasional basis.
• Required to use hands to grasp, lift, handle, carry or feel objects on a frequent basis.
• 20/40 vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required.
• Must be able to comply with all safety standards and procedures.
• May reach above shoulder heights and below the waist on a frequent basis.
• May stoop, kneel, or bend, on an occasional basis.
• The ability to wear personal protective equipment is required (including but not limited to; steel toed shoes, gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection, protective jacket or apron and arm guards).
• All associates working on the production floor may be required to wear a respirator at any given time and thus, the ability to wear a respirator is a condition of employment and continued employment (requires little or no facial hair).

Potential candidates will meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role. All candidates receiving an offer of employment must successfully complete a background check and any other tests that may be required.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement: First Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company