BACKGROUND: Aluminio, Inc was created to solve the biggest technical issue with solar power and enable production of more efficient, cheaper solar cells that can be scaled to terawatts. Aluminio was co-founded by Dr. Brian Hardin and Dr. David Veysset and recently hired lead scientist, Dr. Max L'Etoile. Brian was previously a co-founder of PLANT PV, which commercialized silver metallization pastes for silicon solar cells and was acquired in 2019. David was previously a Research Scientist at Stanford and Max recently received his PhD in MatSci from MIT. We are based in San Carlos, CA.

OUR MISSION is to develop products in the highest margin segment of the battery and solar supply chain that meaningfully improve their cost, efficiency, and sustainability. Our goal is to test with customers early in the process and quickly iterate to demonstrate commercial value. Customer validation is the greatest driver of value creation in a startup. We need to speed up the pace of innovation and convert new ideas into commercial products in 2-3 years instead of 7-10 years to combat climate change

SOLAR POWER PROJECT OVERVIEW: Silver consumption is the top concern of solar cell manufacturers. Silver used on silicon cells accounts for 10% of global demand and represents 10% of the total module cost. The solar industry currently spends >$3 Bn/yr purchasing silver metallization pastes. Solar production is expected to rise 3-10x over the next 10 years and may be unsustainable without significant silver reduction.  Furthermore, next generation solar cells use 70%-200% more silver than conventional (PERC) cells preventing higher efficiency modules from entering the market. We have created novel foils that are used in the “Aluminio” process to replace silver lines in next generation cells, which would enable cell makers to mass produce them.  WHY ALUMINIO? There are few opportunities to get involved early in a clean tech company that is well funded, can quickly make a meaningful impact in renewable energy, has a strong value proposition and well-established customer relationships. We have strong relationships with large solar cell makers, who expect to test our product in the next 18 months. What we are trying to do is audacious and hard, but it is the cheapest and most scalable solution to replace silver. We need help to make this technology successful, but if we make it work with our customers then we will have strong margins in a high-volume business that will meaningfully impact climate change

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING: We are looking for people that enjoy working in a team on a variety of projects. As an early member of Aluminio's core team, you will have many opportunities to help develop and optimize our materials and processes as well as supervise a small team of interns and engineers. You will build and run multiple research projects and be responsible for presenting results to the team and suggest improvements and follow up experiments. You will also have the option of going to China to help us implement our technology on production lines in China starting in 2024.

SKILLS YOU HAVE

• Holds a Bachelor in Engineering or Science field.
• Has hands-on lab experience running experiments and critically thinking about results.
• Has experience developing and optimizing materials systems or processes.
• Has experience leading small teams.
• Highly methodical/organizational, strong communicator.
• Authorized to work in the US.

BONUS

• Fluent in mandarin.
• Awarded an advanced degree (MS, PhD) in Science in Experience
• 2+ years industry experience
• Experience fabricating and/or testing solar cells and lithium-ion batteries
• Experience in failure analysis of microelectronics
• Experience rebuilding/repairing used equipment
• Previously operated vacuum deposition equipment (e.g., evaporator, sputter tool, etc.)
• Experience using SEM/EDX, XRD, profilometer, and

PERKS & BENEFITS

• Competitive Salary with equity 

• Medical Insurance