MICHAEL WHITSON

			   +1.617.378.8977
			mwhitson@alum.mit.edu

				* * *

SUMMARY
-------
  Microfabrication engineer, specializing in MEMS and nanodevice
  design and process development at pre-production R&D scale, with
  over 10 years cleanroom experience.  Multidisciplinary generalist
  background including software, analog circuits, digital and embedded
  systems, optics, materials, mechanics, and device physics.  Member
  of IEEE.

OBJECTIVE
---------
  Seeking full-time position contributing to research in novel micro/
  nanoscale device development and micro/nanofabrication process
  techniques.  Ideal position is a technical-track team member, making
  use both of device theory and hands-on laboratory skills.  Top
  locations: Boston/New England, Seattle/Pacific Northwest,
  Denver/Mountain West, Canada, Northern Europe.

EMPLOYMENT
----------
  Optron Systems, Waltham MA
      Feb 2010 - Present: Senior Research Engineer
      Apr 2008 - Feb 2009: Research Engineer

  Principal Investigator for company's MEMS deformable mirror spatial
  light modulator and infrared/visible video projection system:
  * Fabricated optical MEMS devices, including fully functional
    megapixel spatial light modulators and simplified test structures
    for short-loop experiments.  Processes included contact and
    maskless UV photolithography, reactive ion etching, polymer
    pellicle fabrication, and low-temperature metal evaporation.
  * Designed and fabricated positive and negative tone photomasks for
    experimental MEMS structures.
  * Optimized MEMS devices and fabrication procedure, including
    material selection, MEMS device structure and geometry,
    microfabrication process steps, and custom tooling and fixtures
    for sample manipulation.  Designed and executed experiments,
    demonstrating improved video performance, device yield, and device
    uniformity.
  * Developed computational Fourier optics analysis of MEMS device and
    optical system in Mathematica.
  * Coordinated and integrated subcontractor efforts including ASIC
    design and fabrication, digital video interface electronics design
    and manufacturing, and chip dicing and packaging.
  * Developed FPGA/embedded digital video-to-MEMS interface and signal
    processing firmware, in mixed VHDL/Verilog/C.  Developed end-user
    video testing and demo suite in Python.
  * Wrote primary technical components of proposals and reports for
    DoD and NSF SBIR programs, including successful DoD SBIR Phase I
    and II selections.  Wrote business development, marketing, and
    technical presentation materials, including white papers, slide
    shows, and company website.

  OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Regensburg, Germany
      Jun 2009 - Oct 2009: Graduate intern (MIT Germany Program)

  * Upgraded metrology procedures for extraction of thin film optical
    properties, using spectroscopic ellipsometry and reflectometry
    with optical stack model fitting algorithms.
  * Delivered data and models for several optical films representing
    significant improvements in accuracy of in-house datasets.

  Precision Compliant Systems Laboratory (MIT), Cambridge MA
      Sep 2006 - Dec 2007: Research Assistant.

  * Collaborated on device and microfabrication process design of
    mesoscale/MEMS six-axis flexure-based nanopositioning system.
    Performed precision error budget analysis, device CAD in
    SolidWorks, and finite element simulations in COMSOL.
  * Designed and prototyped microfabricated kinematic couplings for
    precision fixturing, using anisotropic orientation-dependent
    silicon etching for high-quality V-grooves.

  Esashi and Haga Laboratories (Tohoku University), Sendai, Japan
      Oct 2005 - Aug 2006: Visiting researcher (MIT Japan Program)

  * Performed device design, analysis, and preliminary fabrication of
    a piezoelectric MEMS ultrasonic transducer, for use in minimally
    invasive intravascular surgical imaging.
  * Integrated fabrication process involving precision thinning,
    lapping, and polishing of bulk piezoelectric ceramics,
    thermocompression bonding, and deep reactive ion etching.
  * Characterized electro-acoustic performance of prototype devices by
    spectral impedance analysis, using custom GPIB interface in perl.

  Nantero, Woburn MA
      Jun 2004 - Sep 2005: Nanofabrication technician

  * Performed nanofabrication of NEMS prototypes for carbon nanotube
    nonvolatile memory and other products, using UV and electron beam
    lithography, thermal evaporation, reactive ion etch, and
    proprietary nanotube-specific process steps.
  * Characterized process results using scanning electron and atomic
    force microscopy.  Performed manual and automated electrical tests
    of process materials, fabricated test structures, and prototype
    nanodevices, including LabView testbenches.

  Hitachi Central Research Labs, Tokyo, Japan
      Jun 2003 - Aug 2003: Intern (MIT Japan Program)

  * Performed design, finite element simulation, and optimization of
    simple MEMS beam resonators in Coventor.


EDUCATION
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  Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
    Jun 2007: S.B., Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
    Sep 2016: M.Eng., Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
      (pending thesis submission)


SKILLS
------
  10+ years laboratory-scale MEMS/NEMS microfabrication experience:
  * Processes: Photomask layout and write, vacuum and plasma system
    operation, spin coating, UV contact and direct-write
    photolithography, electron beam lithography (EBL), thermal and
    e-beam evaporation, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD),
    atomic layer deposition (ALD), reactive ion etch (RIE, including
    DRIE), lift-off, wet etch, die saw, precision lap and polish,
    compression bonding.
  * Metrology: Optical, scanning electron (SEM), and atomic force
    microscopy (AFM).  Spectroscopic ellipsometry and reflectometry.
    Optical and probe-based surface profilometry.

  Strong software generalist background including earlier professional
  experience as Unix administrator and systems programmer.
    * Technical software: MATLAB, Mathematica, COMSOL, SolidWorks,
      Layout Editor, AutoCAD, Coventor.
    * FPGA/digital and embedded development in Xilinx ISE/EDK
    * Technical writing experience in Word and LaTeX.
    * Development: Prior small-medium project work in Verilog, C,
      Scheme, python, perl, SQL, and Unix shell scripts.

  International work, study, and language experience:
    * Conversational Japanese and Norwegian, basic German.


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Michael Whitson - Microfabrication Engineer        mwhitson@alum.mit.edu