Pwe-PhotonicsElectronics-IssueResolution

Career History

Years

Employer

Industry

Materials / Devices

Capacity

Primary Expertise / Experience Areas

Since

 2006

 Diverse

NXP / Philips

Southampton, UK

Electronics.

Home, TV, Automotive

Silicon.  

CMOS ICs

ê Reliability Consultant

Reliability engineering incl. CMOS IC reliability qualifications incl. ESD, latch up, environmental stress tests. Failure analysis employing state-of-the-art optical, electrical techniques. Corrective action recommendations, reports preparation and presentation. State-of-the-art reliability test lab management and operations.

Consulting

Finisar

Fremont, CA, USA

Photonics.

Fibre Optics Networks

III/V Compound Semiconductors. InP-Compounds.

DFB-Lasers

ê Technical Consultant

Upgrading materials and devices characterization capability. Implementation of / training in thermoreflectance technique pioneered by the author for temperature measurements and thermal imaging on a nanometer scale. Thorough review of client’s manufacturing lines incl. wafer growth, front- and back-end-of-line processing, characterization and testing approaches and facilities. Resolution of severe performance and reliability issues.

Services

European Commission Research

Brussels, Belgium

FP7.

7^th Framework Program

Nano-Materials and Devices

ê Expert Evaluator / Rapporteur

Evaluation and ranking of project proposals in the theme “Equipment and Methods for Nanotechnology”, from the perspective of scientific / technological excellence and potential to disrupt markets and drive scientific progress. Resulting in 16 review reports and 5 rapporteur reports.

European Commission Research

FP7   

Silicon.

CMOS Photonics

ê Reviewer

Expert evaluation of progressing (4-yr) project HELIOS (pHotonics ELectronics functional Integration on CMOS).

2002-2005

Nanovation

Paris, France

Photonics.

Zinc-oxide.

LEDs, LDs

ê Technical Consultant

Organizing priorities and thrust to develop the company for marketability. Technical and market due diligence. Resolution of financial bottlenecks through involving UK VCs.

Further

Si-Light Technologies

Guildford, UK

CMOS Photonics.

Sensors.

Silicon.

LEDs 

ê Project Manager (DTI Smart)

Due diligence of technology and markets: Proof of industrial feasibility, incl. compatibility proof with VLSI Si-CMOS processes. Establishment of business partnerships with relevant market leaders. Non-disclosure agreements. Press releases.

Start-Up

Experience

Essient Photonics

Glasgow, UK¹⁾

Photonics.

Optical Communications

III/V Compound Semiconductors. InP-Compounds.

New Optical Modulator

ê Technical Director

ê Acting in Advisory / Training Capacities

Design and materials authority incl. electroabsorption / resonant tunnelling diode optical modulator design. Establishment of test programs. Device test / characterization. Process design engineering specifications for fabless operations. Technical guidance, direction, problem solving support. Issue resolution. Management of subcontractors incl. selection along with QA of supplier and materials quality. Acting in hands-on, advisory and training capacities. R&D consulting to VC, incl. due diligence assessments of markets and development issues. Development of team skills, mentoring and coaching.

 1999-2002

Agilent Technologies

Ipswich, UK and Palo Alto, USA²⁾

Photonics.

Long-Haul Submarine Networks

III/V Compound Semiconductors. AlGaAs, InGaAs.

Pump Lasers

ê R&D Manager

ê Design / Test Manager

ê Rev Pump Laser Program  Management

ê R&D Consultant to Corporate Management

ê Acting in Advisory / Training Capacities

Development of revised submarine pump lasers incl. New product / process design and development along with quality / reliability management during product progression. Optimization of materials and devices structures. Achievement of an optimum balance between performance and cost. Project / program management of product progression within a formal phase concept, incl. planning, phasing, monitoring / control, and risk control programs as regards schedule, cost and performance. Establishing integrated test programs spanning preliminary and final design and product qualification testing. Setting up / validating a manufacturing line incl. FEOL, BEOL as well as quality information equipment (QIE) for metrology, inspection / test and quality control. Clean room certification. Planning for QIE effectiveness parameters incl. reliability, maintainability, accuracy / precision, operating instructions and training of personnel. Laboratories for material / devices characterization, reliability testing, data and failure analysis:  design, procurement, setting up, management / operations. Issue management, issue resolution, problem-solving support, defect prevention. Technical leadership.  Delivery of laser chip to agreed customer specifications. Quality assurance and QA coordination: concepts, techniques and tools include early warning reviews and tests, reliability analyses, FMEAs, pilot production lots, failure analysis, data collection and analysis, process capability quantification / analysis, design reviews, audits, SPC, process certification, design qualifications, incl. QA failure analysis system, manufacturing data system adequate to report defects / yields. QA of supplier / materials quality, incl. supplier evaluation / qualification programs. QA customers (internal/external):  regular contacts, status reports, presentations, ensuring execution of corrective actions and design changes in compliance with customers’ specs. People management / development incl. mentoring, performance coaching / appraisals. Acting in hands-on, advisory and training capacities. R&D consulting, including due diligence assessments such as ‘technology feasibility studies’ and ‘comparative device technology assessments’ for Agilent’s M&A decisions.

 1998-1999

Hewlett- Packard

Ipswich, UK and San Jose, USA

Photonics.

Long-Haul, Optical, Submarine Communications

III/V Compound Semiconductors. AlGaAs, InGaAs.

Pump Lasers

ê Global Pump Laser Program Manager

ê Design / Test Manager

ê Acting in Advisory / Training Capacities

Global Pump Laser Program Management, including establishment of development risk programs regarding cost, schedule, performance / technical risk. Technical leadership. Forging a global development team from independent factions to deliver against a common goal. Quality assurance of licensed laser technology incl. comprehensive manufacturing reviews (documentation, test / process equipment, operations, product), configuration audits, non-compliance resolution, incl. improvement of performance, reliability, yield, cycle times. Optimization and proof of process capability. QA failure analysis system implementation. Prevention of design reliability degradation by manufacturing processes. Establishment of a manufacturing reliability improvement program. Development of a reliability assurance program. People management / development incl. mentoring, performance coaching. Acting in hands-on, and advisory / training capacity including advice and support in root cause analysis of failed devices.

 1993-1998

 Crucial

 Start-up

 Experience

IBM / Uniphase Laser Enterprise

(Spin-out), Zurich, Switzerland

Photonics.

Optical Communications

III/V Compound Semiconductors.

Laser Diodes incl. Pumps

ê QA Manager

ê Quality Management Representative

ê Core Member of Pioneering IBM Spin-out

ê Principal Research Scientist

ê Advisory / Training Capacities

Audible Quality System: Engineering and Management incl. gap analysis and corrective actions, document development and writing incl. QA manual, procedures / instructions, configuration management, training of personnel, and consulting of management at all levels, preparation for certification. Quality assurance companywide incl. quality audits / reviews, product audits, and process certification (checklist). Implementation of statistical process controls. Setting up of a large laser test database for improving design / fabrication processes, for statistical quality control, and for device selection. Establishment of a manufacturing data system adequate to report defects and yields. Establishment of quality and reliability program requirements incl. supplier evaluation and qualification programs. Reliability qualifications incl. setting up the required test programs and executing analyses of failed devices. Optimization of performance and reliability. Technology transfer / execution of licensing agreement incl. comprehensive documentation of product design and manufacturing processes, production of video movies featuring laser wafer growth, crucial processing steps and relevant device characterization / test procedures (FIB, TEM; P/I/V, FF), and tutorials and on-the-job training of transfer company staff. Key involvement in the  design of an all-new, high-capacity laser fabrication facility (total workspace 6000 m² of which 300 m² / 800 m² is class 100 / 1000 clean room area, resp.) comprising state-of-the-art wafer growth, FEOL and BEOL processing tools, along with Quality Information Equipment (QIE) for metrology, inspection / test and quality control. Design and setting up laboratory facilities for reliability testing, data and failure analysis.  Assessment of fabrication-impacting perturbations such as EMI, ESD, vibrations and appropriate corrective actions. Management of the removal of entire equipment from Research Lab to new business and fabrication / processing / laboratory facilities, also in hands-on and advisory capacities. Quality assurance of the re-establishment of all removed facilities / equipment into new clean room environments in accordance to standards.

 1985-1993

IBM Reserach Laboratory

Zurich, Switzerland

Electronics.

Optoelectronics

III/V Compound Semiconductors.

Laser Diodes. MESFETs

ê Senior Research Scientist

ê Acting in Advisory / Training Capacities

Design, specifications, procurement, set-up, operations of a  state-of-the-art characterization, testing, data and failure analysis laboratory for investigating electrical, optical, thermal properties of a broad range of semiconductor materials and devices, incl. III/V compounds and silicon, quantum wells, LDs, LEDs, FETs. Pioneering of novel techniques. Materials and devices engineering and characterization. Key parameters to investigate include: ê Defect, trap, impurity identification, concentration and location. ê Contaminant mapping. ê Thin films, quantum structures, coatings and wafers. ê Interfaces. ê Optical waveguides. ê Laser facets. ê Optical properties. ê Material instabilities. ê Chemical and elemental analysis. ê Stress and temperature measurement with micrometer spatial resolution. ê Optical and electrical tests. ê Stress and life testing. ê Device failures. Root-cause analysis of failure.

 1983-1985

IBM Research Centre

Yorktown, NY, USA

Electronics.

Pb-Alloy.

1kx4 Josephson Cache Memory

ê IBM International Assignment

Design, modelling (ASTAP, Monte Carlo) and high-speed tests of superconducting ICs. Systematic compilation of issues and final R&D results for presentations and extensive publications.

 1978-1983

IBM Reserach Laboratory

Zurich, Switzerland

Electronics.

Computer

Nb, Pb-Alloy.

Superconductor Computer

ê Research Staff Member

Design, modelling, DC and high-speed electrical testing of superconducting tunnel junctions, peripheral integrated circuits such as drivers and sense bus, main memory for the Josephson Superconductor Computer. Extensive R&D on basic physics of superconducting thin film tunnel junctions regarding: ê Subharmonic gap structure (multi-particle tunneling effects). ê 2-dim imaging of tunneling current density (World’s first; collaborative research with academia). ê Magnetic penetration depths in thin superconducting films measured by using Josephson interferometers (Pioneered technique. World’s first). Knowledge derived from these various measurements added considerable value to the successful development of superconducting circuits comprising the pre-eminent Josephson Computer Project.

 1977-1978

University of Stuttgart, Physics Institute

Stuttgart, Germany

Academic

ê Lecturer

Technical management / running of the progressing practical course of physics incl. setting up / maintenance of large-scale experiments. Practical training, mentoring, coaching of BS/MS graduates in large-scale physics experiments, for academic research.

¹⁾ closure due to lack of funding.   ²⁾ closure due to company wide shut down of pump laser business