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Thin-film Optics Engineer

Tandem PV

Tandem PV

San Jose, CA, USA
Posted on Nov 21, 2024
At Tandem PV we are a team of people who are passionate about building a more sustainable world by bringing more cost effective solar panels onto the market. We’re scaling metal-halide perovskite solar technology to make best-in-class mechanically stacked tandem modules. We have built efficient, durable cells, monolithic multi-cell submodules, and packaged modules with our scalable, low-cost process. Our next focus is expanding our team, acquiring production tools, and building a pilot manufacturing facility. Sounds like a lot, right? It is, and that’s why we need you to join the team!

As a Thin-film Optics Engineer, you’ll play a key role on the R&D team modeling our optical device stack, verifying the model through measurement, and making recommendations on how to improve our optical performance. This is a crucial next step in our ability to push the efficiency of our panels even higher!

To stand out in this role, you will:

  • Optically model the light absorption and transmission in our perovskite+silicon tandem structure
  • Use metrology tools and experimentation to verify the model. Build or modify metrology capabilities to suit your needs.
  • Employ the validated model to propose different changes to the structure of the perovskite+silicon tandem structure to improve light management and tandem efficiency.
  • Expand beyond cell-level optics to module and then product-level optics and design configurations.

Qualifications

  • We can teach a lot, but there are some basics you’ll need to know to hit the ground running, that includes:
    • Experience with electronics in testing environments
    • Experience with optical modeling and measurement
    • Hands on lab experience - including knowledge of safety in a wet chemistry environment and safe use of hazardous materials
  • Key skills that will help you accelerate in this role include:
    • A creative and curious approach to problem solving
    • An understanding of the intricacies and nuances of thin-film optics, scattering/haze, photon recycling, etc in solar photovoltaic devices.
    • Verbal and written communication skills are crucial - they also make for a safer and more efficient environment
  • If you happen to have these skills- it’ll put you ahead of the game!
    • Experience building or modifying optical models (software) or metrology tools (software+hardware)
    • Experience working in a solar company
What we offer:

An awesome team of dedicated technologists changing the way the world is powered! If that’s not enough, we’ll take good care of you and your family with:

  • Flexible PTO
  • Healthcare coverage
  • Life Insurance
  • Long-term & Short-term Disability
  • Parental leave
  • Meaningful equity

Tandem PV uses perovskite & silicon mechanically-stacked tandems to upgrade silicon solar panels, sharply decreasing installed systems costs, significantly increasing module manufacturing profit margins, and opening up vast new solar markets in the US and worldwide. TPV was co-founded by Stanford PhDs Colin Bailie and Chris Eberspacher; is advised by industry experts from Corning, First Solar, Vivint Solar, and Kateeva; has raised more than $15M in private funding; and has been awarded $8M in R&D grants from the Department of Energy, California Energy Commission, etc.

We are a team of people who are passionate about building a more sustainable world by delivering a new generation of solar panels to the market. We are constantly growing and are always looking for dedicated, hardworking, and empathetic teammates.

Tandem PV is a diverse, equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.