Robert M. Prohaska
923 Miller Drive
Davis, CA 95616-1911
bob@www.zefox.net
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Physics, University of California, Irvine, 1982
Experience and primary responsibilities:
- Retired July, 2013
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of
California, Davis. July 2012-June 2013. Senior Development engineer (50%
appointment). Installation and startup of
MOCVD growth system for gallium/indium nitride compounds and characterization
of resulting specimens using x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy.
- Northern California Nanotechnology Center, University of California Davis.
May 2005-June 2012. Principal Development Engineer and member of laboratory
staff. Responsible for facilities and equipment in a 10000 square foot Class
100 cleanroom. Support of installation, refurbishment and maintenance of thin
film deposition, wet and dry etch and characterization tools including
electron beam evaporation, sputtering, electron beam lithography and simple
optical lithography. Establishment of laboratory access control and occupancy
tracking mechanisms. Development and implementation of general safety training
and recordkeeping. Toxic gas delivery/detection system upkeep and upgrade.
- Microfabrication Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley. September
2004-April 2005. Senior Development engineer and member of laboratory staff. Supervision
of characterization facilities including high-resolution SEM, optical profilometry,
x-ray diffraction and related instrumentation. General support of microfabrication
equipment including thin-film deposition equipment, electron-beam lithography and
CVD furnaces in a cleanroom environment.
- Integrated Materials Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, July 1998 to September 2004.
Senior Development Engineer and Laboratory Manager. Supervision of thin-film deposition
and characterization laboratory supporting approximately 40 researchers. Supported
processes include pulsed laser deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, electron-beam evaporation,
RF magnetron sputtering, Auger electron spectroscopy and high-resolution x-ray
diffractometry of materials for electro-optic, electronic and micro-electromechanical
applications.
-
California PATH, University of California, Berkeley, August 1995-June 1998. Associate
Development Engineer. Support of hardware development for automatic vehicle controls for
advanced highway system applications. Procurement, design and fabrication of components
and systems for automatic vehicle control. Organization of infrastructure (shops, supplies
and equipment) for performance of sponsored research. Development of simple, low cost
brake and steering actuation systems switchable between manual and automatic operation.
-
Physics Department, University of California, Irvine, 1986-August 1995. Associate
Specialist. Development of high flux neutral particle beams. Development and diagnostics
on high power x-band backward wave oscillator, high current diodes and gas puff valves
Technical supervision and maintenance of the beam lab at UCI.
-
Hughes Aircraft Company, Support Systems Group, Long Beach, CA,1984-1986. Member
of Technical Staff (On leave from UCI). Investigation of free-electron light sources
based on the Smith-Purcell effect. Development of non-contact automatic test equipment
and one-shot microwave shutter. Applied infra-red thermography to automated
solder joint inspection.
-
Physics Department, University of California, Irvine, 1982-84, Assistant Specialist.
Studied collective ion acceleration by high power electron beams, novel x-ray
lithographic media and high current, compact, induction electron accelerator.
Professional affiliation: Member of the American Physical Society
Publications: 12 in refereed journals
Clearance: DIS Secret, 1985
Other skills: Computers and networks, including setup, maintenance and
administration of six Internet-connected Unix systems.