Herbert Engstrom, PhD

5974 Friar Way, San Jose, CA 95129 ¨ (408) 406-3532  engstrom@best.com

Manager - R&D / Product Development

Analytical Models & Methodologies / Computer Algorithms / Test Instrumentation & Techniques

Statistical Analysis / Experimental Design / Materials Analysis / Quality Control / Prototypes

Proven success developing innovative products and instrumentation for Intel, Tencor Instruments, Verbatim, Xerox, Control Data and Philips.  Led teams of scientists/engineers in developing tools to reduce test/assembly time, and designing analyses/models that improved products in production.  Applied latest technology and concepts to resolve problems.

Product Development:  Managed groups that developed tests/statistical analysis for quality control and improvement at Optreon and for Xerox photo finisher using acoustic inkjet technology.  Performed yield analysis and project timelines for Read-Rite optical disk drive transducer.  Conducted tolerance analysis for optical read/write head.

Research:  Developed innovative techniques for analysis of optical reflectance data from ion implanted semiconductors.  Created models of optical properties of materials, improving accuracy of film measurements for Tencor Instruments.

Technical Skills: Optical metrology, optical polarization analysis, optical and magnetic properties of materials, ellipsometry, thin films, optical disk drives, liquid crystals.  Programming: C, C++, Pascal, Windows, HTML.

PhD/AB, Physics, University of California, Berkeley.  List of publications available upon request.

Developed experimental apparatus to determine gap thickness of liquid crystal cell at Intel.  Engineers had failed to design reliable method to measure thickness of liquid crystal (cell gap) using reflectance and polarimetry.  Proposed, designed and built alternative apparatus and wrote computer program.  Applied technique to 20 samples, achieving 97% correlation with cell gap measurements made by manufacturer.  Intel immediately incorporated program into production.

Developed innovative computer algorithms for defining/analyzing multi-layer films in semiconductor processing.  Tencor Instruments had developed reflectometer for measuring optical properties and thickness of films used in semiconductor industry.  Standard film files, giving optical properties, were often nonexistent for new materials.  Developed new models/computer programs for analysis.  Credited with helping to increase sales $1M in one sales office.

Created analytical methods to determine surface resistance of semiconductor wafers using non-contact instruments.  Tencor had non-contact instrument to measure surface electrical resistance of semiconductor wafers.  Developed more sophisticated model of probe head electronic circuit and applied multidimensional interpolation algorithm, improving sensitivity by order of magnitude and cut time to determine resistivity by factor of 1,000.

Led team in creating sophisticated alignment tool to assemble/test optical head, cutting assembly time 96%.  Verbatim's optical head for an erasable optical disk drive, consisting of 20 to 25 optical, mechanical, and electronic components, required six hours to assemble.  Directed team in conceptualizing, designing, and building alignment tool and wrote computer control program.  Reduced time for assembly, alignment, and test from six hours to 15 minutes.

Tabor Enterprises, President/Founder, 2001 - Present.  Contracting firm providing measurement of optical properties of materials and product design.  Extensive experience in mechanical design, electronics, automated acquisition/analysis of data, and computer programming.  Clients include Intel, ThermaWave, Spectra, and Nova Crystals.

Read-Rite/Teneca, Director of Product Engineering, 1998 -2001.  Managed product development, production problems, and solution development for disk drive manufacturer.  Conducted yield and statistical analysis to improve product design and enhance yield.  Clients included Xerox and Optreon.

Tencor Instruments/KLA-Tencor, Senior Staff Research Scientist, 1990-1998.  Analyzed reflectance and polarization data from semiconductor thin films for $1.4B manufacturer of semiconductor test equipment.  Developed new models of optical properties.  Measured film thickness using reflectance and resistivity data.  Wrote software to analyze data.

Verbatim, Optical Engineering Manager, 1985 -1990.  Directed optical head development team for an optical disk drive in $10M division of parent, Eastman Kodak.  Managed team in development, assembly and test of automated alignment and test equipment for magneto-optic read/write head for optical disk drive.

Previously, Engineering Manager, Control Data/Philips Electronics.  Staff Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

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