Design Engineer
Resume:
THOMAS C. RUSSELL
** ****** **** ****., ****** Hill, NJ 07974
*********@****.***
PROFILE
• Ph.D. Electrical Engineering (Brown University).
• M.S. Mechanical Engineering (Stanford University).
• 4 US patents and 9 publications.
• CTO at photovoltaic systems development company (WattLots).
• VP Engineering at engineering prototype company (Veritech).
• Chief Controls Engineer at semiconductor equipment manufacturer (BOC).
• VP Engineering at consumer electronics company (Voice It).
• Research and development scientist (Bell Labs).
• Product development, project management and consulting in medical, industrial,
consumer, military and renewable energy fields.
• Embedded electronics design including analog, digital and firmware.
• Data acquisition, test and control (Linux and PC).
EXPERIENCE
2013- Hackstar. Techstars, NY (www.techstars.com) Technical firmware and electronics
expert for companies participating in the R/GA Connected Devices (Internet of
Things) Accelerator.
2009- Chief Technical Officer, WattLots, LLC, Millington, NJ (wattlots.com).
Responsible for the technical direction of a startup company developing unique
solar photovoltaic tracking power systems. The systems are targeted at parking lots
and can both provide power and serve as a multimedia platform. Designed
LiteBeam™ photovoltaic module which combines structural support with integrated
micro-inverter and shepherded it through UL testing. Responsible for prototype
fabrication, test procedures and simulation and developed a Linux based tracker
controller. Support VP of Marketing to promote the product and VP of Operations
to manufacture it.
Consultant. Clients include New Jersey Institute of Technology (njit.edu), Sigma
Design Company (sigmadesign.net)., Vivonics (vivonics.com). and Veritech
(veritech.cc). Electronic designs including circuit design, firmware and prototype
fabrication. Medical: inductively powered wireless implant for measuring shunt
flow in patients with hydrocephalous (funded by NIH), wireless EKG/EEG monitor
and TENS pain management device. Industrial: energy harvesting power electronics
and wireless sensor for railroad track communications. Automotive: brushless
motor controller, motorcycle signaling device. Consumer: hot tub control system,
teeth whitener, safety timer and toys. Military: ultra high accuracy timing generator
for secure communications.
2007-2009 VP Engineering, Veritech, Inc., Whippany, NJ (veritech.cc). Veritech provides
research and development services for electronic and mechanical engineering
prototypes.
Responsible for complete system solutions including analog and digital circuit
design, mechanical design, microcontroller firmware and PC software.
• Identify customer needs and develop a plan to provide engineering solutions.
• Implement the plan through leadership of both internal and external resources.
• Design the overall system and the specific electronic sub-systems.
• Projects include military GPS timing generator, GPS-based timing unit for
aircraft hazard light beacon, functional tester for aircraft components, micro-
mirror array tester, wireless remote reader for bio-implantable sensor, flow
controller for surgical irrigation, handheld calendar calculator, spa control
system and donut filling machine controller.
2001-2007 Chief Controls Engineer, BOC Edwards, Murray Hill, NJ. Provide overall
direction of control system architecture at BOC Edwards. Managed group of high
level engineers for advanced control projects.
• Lead BOC Edwards Controls Council to establish and implement control
system standards. Enabled the widespread adoption of Ethernet-enabled
control systems and IEC61131 PLC programming.
• Design new control system products that encourage the adoption of the
Controls Council guidelines. Projects included a web-based wafer load-lock,
high accuracy flow controller and a Linux controlled packaged chiller.
• Educate worldwide controls staff on the latest control system technologies to
keep BOC Edwards a technology leader.
• Work with legal department to refine invention records and encourage the
filing of invention records by controls engineers.
• Chair of SEMI committee formed to create a standard communications
protocol for vacuum pumps. SEMI standard E54.018 published in 2006.
1996-2001 VP of Technology, Voice It Worldwide, Inc.., San Diego, CA. and VP of
Engineering, VXI Corp., Rollinsford, NH (vxicorp.com)
Architecture and implementation of portable consumer electronic devices.
Voice It designed and manufactured handheld digital voice recorders using
advanced speech compression for use in dictation and note recording.
Recordings could be transferred to a PC and converted to text using speech
recognition software. Voice It was purchased by VXI Corporation in 2000.
• Develop new technologies for audio compression and recording.
• Conceive and refine product ideas based on market analysis and technologies
including both electrical and mechanical design.
• Create detailed electrical designs with emphasis on ergonomics, simplicity of
use, component cost, and compact profile.
• Write embedded microcontroller firmware and manage both in-house and
external resources for software development.
• Nurture relationships with key vendors supplying leading edge technology.
• Work with quality and manufacturing areas for product support.
T. Russell - 2
EXPERIENCE
1994-1996 Member of Technical Staff, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ.
1985-1989 Technology Integration Research Dept. - Worked on prototypes for a number of
consumer products including cordless microphone adjunct for speakerphone,
cordless headset, home e-mail service and equipment, personal language
translator and novel security systems including personal 911.
Advanced Lithography Research Dept. - Member of team developing a
proprietary electron beam projection lithography system for use in integrated
circuit manufacture.
• Team leader for exposure station design and construction
• Image processing and mark detection
• Vacuum system design and automatic control
Advanced VLSI Packaging Dept. - Engineered equipment and methodologies
for the test and manufacture of high-density silicon multi-chip modules.
• Created high speed, high accuracy moving two-probe robotic tester used for
electrical test of high density interconnects. Tester included a unique test
language and was installed at several AT&T factory locations.
• Worked with machine vision systems for component alignment.
• Implemented equipment for ultrasonic chip bonding and chip sorting.
• Designed downstream microwave CVD system.
• Worked on alignment methods for electron beam lithography system
Manager of Design and Test Development, Alcoa Electronic Packaging, San Diego, CA.
1989-1994
Direct the development of advanced ceramic and thin film on silicon multi-chip module
designs, test methods and equipment.
• Engineered robotic two-probe tester to measure dual-sided ceramic parts.
• Constructed microcontroller based capacitance meter for inspection station.
• Provided fully qualified automatic test equipment to factory including robotic
handling and machine vision.
• Created and managed test and measurement facility for parametric and
functional testing of multi-chip modules, including high-speed response.
• Direct the activities of multi-chip module design group including electrical
simulation, schematic capture, layout and documentation.
• Integrated the design and test staff to encourage design for testability.
T. Russell - 3
EDUCATION
Brown University
Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering
Thesis: “Fabrication and Characterization of Quench Cast Silicon for Solar Cell
Application”
Subjects: Semiconductor Devices, Artificial Intelligence, and Materials
Science.
Stanford University
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Subjects: Microprocessor Based Product Design and Thermosciences.
John MacDonald Fellow.
Brown University
B.S. in The Technology of Energy
Magna Cum Laude. Sigma Xi.
PATENTS
US 7,398,127 “Systems and Methods for Facilitating Wireless Communication Between Various
Components of a Distributed System,” issued July 8, 2008 and assigned to Edwards
Vacuum, Inc. Systems and methods to provide a wireless network for linking the
various components of manufacturing equipment or manufacturing systems to one
or more central control devices.
US 6,453,281 “Portable audio database device with icon-based graphical user-interface,” issued
September 17, 2002 and assigned to VXI Corporation. A method and apparatus for
storing and retrieving information to and from a memory of a hand-held audio
database device.
US 5,600,146 “Charged Particle Beam Multiple-Pole Deflection Control Circuitry,” issued
February 4, 1997 and assigned to Lucent Technologies. Method for simplifying the
design of deflection control circuitry used in high performance electron-beam
lithographic systems.
US 5,023,557 “Method for Testing of Electronic Devices,” issued June 11, 1991 and assigned to
AT&T. Method for decreasing the time to test electronic interconnect substrates
with two or more moving probes.
T. Russell - 4
DESIGN
Solar Ph.D. research on methods for producing low cost silicon material for solar cells.
Researcher on Department of Energy project to build a small energy efficient, solar
powered home. Designed unique solar collectors which integrated photovoltaic
cells and forced-air heat exchangers to generate both electricity and heat. Currently
working on developing photovoltaic energy systems for parking lots.
Electronics Microprocessor, microcontroller, FPGA and DSP based designs for a variety of
applications. Examples include bio-implanted wireless sensor and external reader,
voice recorders, helmet-mounted display, high accuracy GPS-stabilized timing
control circuits, dedicated test sets for aircraft components, regulated high voltage
AC supply, ballast for metal halide lamps, high accuracy flow controller, Linux-
based equipment control system, cooling fan controller and web-based pressure
sensor.
Processors Microchip PIC, TI MSP430, ARM7 and Cortex M3/M0, Nordic BLE, Cypress
and Modules PSoC, Silicon Labs 8051, Motorola / Freescale DSP 56F8000, Digi ME, Netburner,
Tern, and Technologic Systems Linux.
PUBLICATIONS
SEMI Standard E054.18 “Specific Device Model for Vacuum Pumps”, published
2006.
Guest Editor for IEEE Components, Hybrids and Manufacturing Technology
Transactions, special section on MCM Testability series published beginning in
November 1993.
“Testing of Multichip Modules,” (with Y. Wen), MultiChip Module Technologies
and Alternatives: The Basics, Chapter 13 of textbook published by Van Nostrand
Rheinhold, 1993.
“Two Probe High Speed Tester - Software and Hardware Manuals,” (with D.
Wagner and R. Zappula), AT&T Bell Laboratories Internal Publication, 1987, 1988.
“Quench Casting of Silicon Ribbons for Solar Cells,” (with R. Arya and M.
Narasimhan), Seventeenth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, April 1984.
“Large Grain Polycrystalline CuInSe2 Ribbons for Solar Cells,” (with R. Arya, M.
Narasimhan, C. Case, R. Bealieu, and J. Loferski), Seventeenth IEEE Photovoltaic
Specialists Conference, April 1984.
“Design and Construction of a Hybrid Photovoltaic (3kWp) - Thermal Solar Energy
System for a Residential/Commercial Building,” (with J. Loferski, C. Case, G.
Doodlesack, B. Roessler, R. Dobbins, J. Beall and J. Krikorian), Sixteenth IEEE
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, September 1982.
“Combined Photovoltaic/Thermal Collector Panels of Improved Design,” (with J.
Loferski, B. Roessler, R. Dobbins, J. Beall, C. Case, G. Doodlesack and W. Oates),
Fifteenth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, April 1981.
“Build the Solar Controller,” Popular Science Monthly, March 1978. Complete
plans for electronic control and monitoring system.
T. Russell - 5
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