Optics, optical communication, Zemax for optical design and modeling

Yu (George) Liu, PhD

Irvine, CA *****, USA

949-***-**** (h)

949-***-**** (c)

************@*****.***

SUMMARY

Optical engineers with over 20 years of expertise and innovation in optical devices and systems. Published 100 papers and holds 12 US patents. Specialized in the design and optimization of optical systems, including free space optics, fiber optics, high power lasers, sensors, optical lenses, spectrometers, imaging, fiber ball lenses, fiber GRIN lenses, laser shock waves, optical coherence tomography (OCT), Lidar, lens and fiber grinding automation, etc. Proficient in image processing (LabView, Matlab, Python, C/ C ++, openGL, GPU), optical simulation (Zemax), mechanical design (Solidworks, 3D printing), camera imaging (LabView Vision), and stepper motor (Arduino).

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Principal Optical Engineer – MKS – Irvine, CA 8/2023-7/2024

Designed and implemented an optical system for measuring lens dispersion, aberration, and laser beam profile, including optical setup, fiber tapering, fiber cap, high-power fiber connector, high-power lasers, high-power fiber coupling, power measurement, imaging, DAQ card, sensor, spectrometer, up to 10 motion stages/actuators.

Labview programming dozens of remote devices to determine and optimize the parameters of optical systems, including automatic searching and maintaining the optimized laser power.

Zemax programming optical systems, including lens design and high-power fiber coupling.

Solidworks and 3D printing for machine design, Python, and Matlab for data processing.

Senior Optical Engineer – Biolase Inc. – Foothill Ranch, CA 6/2022-6/2023

Designed and implemented a cutting-edge bare fiber grinding system for high-power pulse laser coupling, utilizing LabView, Arduino, 3D printing, USB camera, stepper motor, and optical sensor; Developed control box to precisely move fiber to 1/10/100 um accuracy for grinding automation; Achieved epoxy-free fiber connectors for high-power coupling.

Optimized free space-based flash light pumped high-power laser sources and improved high-power coupling by epoxy-free fiber connectors.

LabView programming test automation, including the measurement of laser rod lifetime and laser power decay curves (100 hours and 15 million pulses).

Solidworks and 3D printing for mechanical design, Arduino programming for driving stepper motors. Matlab, Python, C/C++ openGL, and C# for data and imaging processing.

Zemax simulation for optical design, high power fiber coupling, and more.

Principal Optical Engineer – Bolt Medical Inc. – Carlsbad, CA 10/2019-5/2022

Designed and implemented laser shockwave systems and fiber catheters for clinic trials, including free space laser beam shaping, high-power laser coupling and delivery, high-power fiber connectors, fiber ball lenses, fiber GRIN lenses, fiber lithotripsy catheters, shockwave testing and optimization.

Developed bare fiber grinding and epoxy-free fiber tapered connectors (patented) for high-power laser coupling.

Skilled in CO2 laser cleaving, plasma fiber stripping, fiber angle grinding and cleaving, sapphire fibers, PMMA plastic fibers.

Designed and implemented an imaging, autofocusing and scanning systems using 3 stepper motors, a USB camera, 3D printing and LabView Arduino programming.

Proficient in mechanical design with Solidworks and 3D printing; LabView, Matlab, Python, C/C++ openGL for data processing and imaging.

Zemax simulation for lens design, fiber coupling, and more.

CTO, Principal Optical Engineer – Argus Scientific Corp., Irvine, CA 07/2017 – 5/2019

Led a team and designed commercial cardiovascular OCT imaging systems and catheters for production, including interferometers, fiber ball lenses and GRIN lenses, high-speed rotation and pull-back imaging catheters; Optimized balanced detectors and achieved 115 dB signal-to-noise ratio; Created no-purge OCT catheters.

Developed OCT imaging software in C/C++ OpenGL with GPU FFT for 2/3D imaging and imaging data processing.

LabView and Arduino programming of laser beam profile measurement with USB camera, power meter, CCD camera, and stepper motor.

Expert in Zemax for optical design, Solidworks and 3D printing for mechanical design.

Principal Optical Engineer – Varocto Inc. – Orange, CA 02/2016 – 6/2017

Designed and developed an OCT imaging system for retinal imaging, including optical lens, optical scan head, fundus camera, pupil camera, target imaging, interferometer, spectrometer, LabView imaging software, GPU FFT for 3D imaging.

Enhanced the retinal angiography imaging by implementing phase variance OCT (PV-OCT) technology.

Experienced with the design and optimizing infrared imaging system, Handhold Vein Finder System, to well align the red imaging to indicate the location of the human blood vascular.

Solidworks and 3D printing for mechanical design;

Zemax simulation for the design of scan lenses, spectrometers, and optical scan heads.

Principal Optical Engineer – St. Jude Medical, Irvine, CA 12/2008 – 12/2015

Built a new optical lab, designed and developed an optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems and catheters for cardiovascular imaging, which eventually led to SJM's acquisition of Lightlab, an OCT imaging company for $90 million in 2010.

Developed cost-effective and high-resolution OCT catheters by designing and implementing a new type of fiber GRIN lenses and fiber ball lenses.

Improved OCT catheters for cardiovascular imaging with added capabilities like temperature sensing, pressure sensing, and FFR (Fractional Flow Reserve) measurement.

OCT 3D imaging software in LabView and C/C++ OpenGL; Expert in utilizing Zemax for optical simulation and Solidworks for mechanical design.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Princess Margaret Hospital – Toronto, Canada 08/2002 – 02/2008

Conducted research on fiber Bragg grating array sensors, fiber lasers, and wavelength-swept fiber laser sources for OCT imaging.

Designed and fabricated OCT imaging probes with fiber GRIN lenses and fiber ball lenses; Doppler OCT imaging for measuring blood velocity in vessels.

OCT 3D imaging programming in LabView and Matlab; Skilled in using Zemax for optical simulation.

EDUCATION

•Ph.D., 2001, Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

AWARDS

•"LEOS Graduate Student Fellowships," a total of 6 winners worldwide.

•"Youth Research Funding," University of Science and Technology of China.

PATENTS

•12 US patents

•100 papers

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