Industry Experience

I have had the privilege to work on high-tech photolithography tools and have emerged as a subject matter expert in optics (not only geometrical optics but damage threshold characterization), mechanical engineering, thin films, vacuum cleanliness, surface characterization, inspection and metrology, and more!

Photo-contamination Control Engineer
KLA, Reticle Products Division, Milpitas, California, U.S.A., 2021 - 2024

Developed and implemented cleanliness and photo-contamination measures especially for imaging and illumination optics in an actinic EUV patterned mask inspection system, bridging research with manufacturability and assembly processes; worked closely with suppliers in cleanrooms in California and all over EU to develop and enforce molecular and particle control protocols for fixturing and transport of EUV optics in an ultra-clean vacuum environment

Lead EUV Coating Engineer
Zygo, Extreme Precision Optics, Richmond, California, U.S.A., 2019 - 2021

Forged collaborative relationship with the customer, consultants, and suppliers and led or substantially contributed to materials selection, polish and process auditing, coating design, optical metrology system design, and packaging and storage of EUV mirrors and substrata; delivered a coating development substrate that met not only stringent surface roughness requirements but also unprecedented contamination specifications

Senior Scientist and Data Analyst
ASML U.S. and Cymer, San Diego, California, U.S.A., 2012 - 2018

Set up a spectrophotometry laboratory and failure analysis process for understanding lifetime limits of optics and sensors and recommended design changes to improve performance of photolithographic lightsource equipment; developed a novel metric for forecasting optics lifetime based on transmission trends in upgraded opto-mechanical assembly and created a comparative visualization tool serving engineering, marketing, and finance stakeholders to quickly assess and visualize performance impact of engineering changes; delivered technical presentations and communications with customers and collaborators at multiple sites in U.S.A., Europe, and Asia, and conducted formal knowledge transfer and training sessions for colleagues; directed optics and ceramics lifetime studies to optimize excimer laser chamber performance