# Senior Thin Film Deposition Engineer

**Company:** [Solestial](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-companies/solestial)
**Location:** 1121 West Warner Rd; Tempe, AZ 85284
**Work mode:** On-site
**Seniority:** Senior
**Employment type:** Full Time
**Category:** Aerospace Engineering
**Listed:** 2026-09-21

[View and apply on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/solestial/senior-thin-film-deposition-engineer-ed00b1d1-fb8f-43cb-9164-3f6cc87b710e)

## What you'll do

- Own and optimize PVD/PECVD processes for space solar arrays
- Develop and modify deposition processes to improve yield and throughput
- Troubleshoot deposition issues and equipment problems hands-on
- Maintain deposition equipment including vacuum systems, gas delivery, power supplies
- Partner with teams to minimize downtime and transition processes to production

## What you need

- Bachelor's in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related
- Significant hands-on PVD/PECVD process and equipment experience
- Deep knowledge of thin film deposition, vacuum systems, plasma
- Experience optimizing deposition processes in manufacturing environment
- Hands-on PVD/sputtering equipment maintenance and troubleshooting

## Job description

**The Company:**

Solestial is pioneering the future of space-based solar power by developing advanced solar technologies optimized for the harsh conditions of space. Our innovative, low-cost, and scalable solar arrays are engineered for next-generation satellites, spacecraft, and orbital infrastructure. We are driven by a mission to power the space economy and unlock limitless opportunities in orbit and beyond.

**The Role:**

As a **Senior Thin Film Deposition Engineer,** you will own and advance our thin film deposition processes, with a strong focus on **PVD and PECVD**. This role will be responsible for maintaining stable, repeatable deposition processes while also driving process development, optimization, and equipment modifications as we scale manufacturing.

This is a hands-on engineering role. The ideal candidate has deep experience with sputter deposition and understands the relationship between the **process, equipment, materials, and resulting film properties**. They should be comfortable troubleshooting from both a process and equipment perspective and working directly on deposition tools to keep them operating reliably.

### Your Mission

-   Own and optimize **PVD/PECVD processes**.
    
-   Develop and modify deposition processes to improve film performance, repeatability, yield, and throughput
    
-   Monitor process performance and troubleshoot deposition issues, excursions, and variability
    
-   Maintain deposition equipment from a process and engineering perspective, including hands-on troubleshooting and preventative maintenance
    
-   Diagnose equipment-related issues involving vacuum systems, gas delivery, power supplies, targets, chambers, and other deposition system components
    
-   Partner with engineering and manufacturing teams to keep deposition tools running reliably and minimize downtime
    
-   Develop process recipes, operating parameters, and process controls
    
-   Plan and execute experiments and DOEs to understand process windows and optimize performance
    
-   Support modifications and upgrades to existing deposition equipment as manufacturing needs evolve
    
-   Analyze process and equipment data to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for improvement
    
-   Develop and maintain process documentation, specifications, work instructions, and equipment maintenance procedures
    
-   Support the transition of new or modified deposition processes from development into production
    

### What You Bring

-   Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field; advanced degree a plus
    
-   Significant hands-on experience with **physical vapor deposition (PVD) and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)** processes and equipment
    
-   Deep technical knowledge of **thin film deposition**, including process parameters, plasma behavior, vacuum systems, target/material interactions, and thin film properties
    
-   Experience developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting thin film deposition processes in a manufacturing or production environment
    
-   Hands-on experience maintaining, troubleshooting, and modifying PVD/sputtering equipment
    
-   Strong understanding of vacuum equipment and components, including pumps, valves, pressure measurement, gas delivery, and related systems
    
-   Experience using structured problem-solving, DOE, and data analysis to improve process performance
    
-   Ability to independently troubleshoot complex issues that cross the boundary between **process and equipment**
    
-   Comfortable working directly with production equipment in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
    

### What Gives You an Edge

-   Experience with thin film deposition for **semiconductor, photovoltaic, aerospace, or other high-reliability applications**
    
-   Experience scaling deposition processes from R&D or development into manufacturing
    
-   Experience with equipment upgrades, retrofits, or custom modifications
    
-   Familiarity with SPC and manufacturing process controls
    
-   Experience with additional vacuum deposition or thin film characterization techniques
    

### Our Benefits

-   Competitive salary
-   Generous, high-quality medical, dental, and vision coverage on day one of employment
-   15 vacation days, 5 sick days, and 10 paid holidays annually - with an extended holiday break at year’s end
-   401K with employer match up to 4% of salary
-   Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability and employer-sponsored life insurance
-   Your work will literally **go to space!**

## Other open roles at Solestial

- [PECVD/ PVD Process Technician - Solar Cell Manufacturing](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/solestial/pecvd-pvd-process-technician-solar-cell-manufacturing-b8a17c92-283c-4573-b486-b9315ce7371b) — 1121 West Warner Rd; Tempe, AZ 85284
- [Mechatronics Engineer – Solar Manufacturing Equipment](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/solestial/mechatronics-engineer-solar-manufacturing-equipment-60cb5712-b4d4-4e5b-9858-7c18d560698d) — 1121 West Warner Rd; Tempe, AZ 85284
- [Process Technician - Solar Cell Manufacturing](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/solestial/process-technician-solar-cell-manufacturing-550e39cb-c6d9-4f4e-9a6f-1e40b9bf6ec8) — 1121 West Warner Rd; Tempe, AZ 85284
- [Facilities & Equipment Technician](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/solestial/facilities-equipment-technician-1e9c7940-f17d-44ab-bf94-ecad27eab14a) — 1121 West Warner Rd; Tempe, AZ 85284
- [Process Technician - Solar Cell Manufacturing (Night Shift)](https://zerogtalent.com/defense-jobs/solestial/process-technician-solar-cell-manufacturing-night-shift-93443ad2-4976-4a31-99a5-58f53ed2be99) — 1121 West Warner Rd; Tempe, AZ 85284

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