Job Application for Materials R&D Technician, Silicon Crystal Growth at SpaceX Materials R&D Technician, Silicon Crystal Growth Bastrop, TX Apply SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars. MATERIALS R&D TECHNICIAN, SILICON CRYSTAL GROWTH As a Materials R&D Technician, Silicon Crystal Growth on Starlink, you will partner directly with engineering to rapidly bring online state-of-the-art silicon ingot and wafer fab R&D lines to develop and refine recipes for producing high-quality ingots and wafers. These wafers will feed internal solar cell fabrication for our next generation Starlink satellites and Starship missions to the Moon and Mars. You will be responsible for silicon ingot pulling equipment commissioning, recipe and process development, monitoring and troubleshooting equipment, characterizing ingot and wafer quality, and transferring a stable process to the production teams.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Partner with engineering to rapidly bring online state-of-the art silicon ingot and wafer fab development lines. Drive equipment setup, calibration, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Prepare raw materials, seeds, and hot zone components for crystal growth. Execute DOEs and process trials to inform seeding techniques, recipe optimization, thermal management, impurity control, and defect mitigation. Perform silicon ingot and wafer characterization; ensure associated lab equipment is maintained and calibrated. Safely handle chemicals and adhere to all EHS protocols to maintain a safe work environment. Ensure 5S standards and cleanroom protocols are upheld by maintaining a clean and organized work area. Participate in training exercises for production silicon growth technicians, as needed. BASIC
QUALIFICATIONS: High school diploma or equivalency certification. 3+ years of hands-on experience in silicon crystal growth, semiconductor, or similar, manufacturing. Experience handling flammable, toxic, corrosive, and/or hazardous chemicals safely. PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelor's or associate's degree in a STEM field. 5+ years of hands-on work experience in silicon crystal growth manufacturing. Experience using and maintaining silicon ingot/wafer characterization techniques and equipment, including ICP-MS, GDMS, XRT, SEM/TEM, FTIR, resistivity mapping, and minority carrier lifetime testing (PL). Proven ability to understand and accurately follow complex manufacturing procedures and adhere to safety
requirements; strong attention to detail. Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills to work closely with engineering, other technicians, and cross-functional teams. Ability to identify and maintain priorities for work scope. Ability to rapidly change roles/
responsibilities while working independently in a high-paced, challenging work environment with minimal oversight. ADDITIONAL
REQUIREMENTS: Must be open to work all shifts, overtime and/or weekends as needed. Must be comfortable working in a production environment using hazardous chemicals such as acids, alkalis, and solvents. Must be able to wear appropriate PPE for lab and electro-chemical manufacturing environment. Must be able to walk and stand for long periods of time. Must be able to lift 25 lbs. unassisted. Must be comfortable with climbing up and down ladders, grasping, standing, lifting, bending, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, carrying, crawling, and maneuvering in tight spaces. ITAR
REQUIREMENTS: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here . SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and
qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected] . Create a Job Alert Interested in building your career at SpaceX? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email. Create alert Apply for this job * indicates a required field Autofill with MyGreenhouse First Name * Last Name * Preferred First Name Email * Phone Country * Phone * Location (City) * Locate me Resume/CV * Attach Attach Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Education School Select... Degree Select... Discipline Select... Add another LinkedIn Profile Portfolio or Cover Letter Attach Attach Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf What shift(s) are you willing to work? * 1st Shift 2nd Shift 3rd Shift Weekend Day Weekend Night All Shifts How did you hear about this job? * Select... If event or other, please specify below. Please specify Active Security Clearance(s) * Select... SpaceX Employment History * Select... Can you perform all of the essential functions of this role with or without reasonable accommodations? * Select... Are you legally authorized to work in the United States? * Select... Citizenship Status * Select... To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here . If (f) Other, please explain: Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in SpaceX’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. Gender Select... Are you Hispanic/Latino? Select... Race & Ethnicity Definitions If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to
compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to
compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Veteran Status Select... Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Why are you being asked to complete this form? We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years. Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp . How do you know if you have a disability? A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to: Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally) Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS Blind or low vision Cancer (past or present) Cardiovascular or heart disease Celiac disease Cerebral palsy Deaf or serious difficulty hearing Diabetes Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders Epilepsy or other seizure disorder Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome Intellectual or developmental disability Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD Missing limbs or partially missing limbs Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities Partial or complete paralysis (any cause) Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema Short stature (dwarfism) Traumatic brain injury Disability Status Select... PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete. Submit application Powered by Greenhouse
