Professional // Engineer / Summary

Overview

My career in the electronics industry began in 1978 fresh out of high school. My passion for music, a natural curiosity, and tinkering with building my own equipment were the stepping stones to my career. Combining my love of playing bass in bands and a desire to build and or improve every piece of outboard gear I could get my hands on, I did repair for several music stores, authorized repair for Mesa Boogie in the early days, Lots of Amp mods, pedal boards, effects systems, during exciting times with the coming of MIDI, and digital music. My lifetime work covers music equipment, professional audio, industrial controls, medical equipment, broadband internet cable delivery systems, with the majority of my career of 36+ years working on imager sensors (CID, CMOS) and video cameras.

During my early days for a period lasting 8 years I worked on medical x-ray cameras utilizing vidicon and plumbicon tubes. Another 8 years working on industrial cameras utilizing CID Imagers. This period of time was my first real insight to solid state sensors, and a pivotal point in my career.

From 1998 to December 2012 my work has been entirely dedicated to designing CMOS linear and 2D array sensors for the motion picture industry, high res UDTV(4XHDTV), scientific, machine vision, and high volume consumer markets. Company Founder Panavision Imaging, LLC. (Prior to 2003: Photon Vision Systems, Inc) My primary duties: Image Sensor Design and Layout Engineer, Documentation Manager. Program manager responsible for linear array product line.

My latest endeavor is the founding of Town Line Technologies, LLC at the beginning of 2013. The sale of Panavision Imaging and reorganizing that followed was the opportunity to begin again, and set a new direction in my career. As President/CEO and principle engineer, the focus is on IC and PCB contract work along with consulting to maximize tool use and fund development work for new linear image sensor designs, and technologies.

Resume

Work History

Jan. 2013 – Present President, Principle and Senior Layout Engineer Town Line Technologies, LLC., Cortland NY: IC and PCB layout design services, testing services, program management, and consulting.

  • 45+ years of experience in the industry, extensive video background in consumer, medical, military, and machine vision markets
  • Prior experience in Vidicon / Plumbicon Cameras, CID sensors and cameras
  • 26+ years designing CMOS image sensors with 81+ US and world wide patents.
  • Currently servicing 10-14 lyr rigid flex HD camera projects, large Xylinx / Altera BGA's, DDR2 etc. with 3g / 10g interfaces 3/3 and 4/4 rules. Mentor Pads. Orcad, ALtium, Eagle/Fusion 360, Kicad used for PCB design, Seimens Tanner EDA suite, Calibre for IC design

    • Nov. 2022 – March 2024 Senior IC Layout Engineer Senseeker Engineering, INC., Santa Barbara IC and PCB layout design

  • Primary Management / Technical Duties:
  • Infrared, CMOS Image sensor silicon design and layout, schematic entry
  • Full chip integration, analog/ mixed signal. Tanner EDA, Calibre DRC/LVS,
  • Develop / Review 3rd party PCB projects
  • PCB design/layout. Altium Designer, Mechanical dwg’s.

    • Sept. 1998 – Dec. 2012 IC Layout Engineer Panavision Imaging, LLC., Homer NY (Orig. -Photon Vision Systems, acquired by Panavision Dec., 2002): CAE design CMOS image/camera products for high volume consumer products (100,000+ per month), high res 4XHDTV, high end motion picture (movie making), prosumer, military, and industrial applications.

    Achievements:

  • Produced physical layouts of all company sensor products with “first silicon” working die
  • Physical layout and design input on ground breaking analog 60fps 8mp sensor in 2002
  • Physical Layout and design input on a 120fps+ 37mp sensor in 2004
  • Conceived product idea, physical Layout and design input for world’s first programmable, reconfigurable wide linear image sensor sold in volume production
  • Mentored layout staff to successfully contribute layout work resulting in working first silicon.
  • Resolved packaging issues with overseas vendor increasing yield from 68% to +88% on high volume linear sensor.
  • Problem solving and research resulting in dozens of US and worldwide patents
  • Conceived and implemented a documentation system that is efficient and requiring minimal overhead and unnecessary paperwork
  • Facilitated implementation and adoption of ISO9001 policies achieving certification under 14 months

    • Primary Management / Technical Duties:

  • Program manager -sensor projects.
  • CAD/CAE Department manger : Physical Layout- Silicon, PCB, Mechanical, other artwork/graphics
  • CMOS Image sensor silicon design and layout, schematic entry, for 1.5um to 0.18um process nodes
  • Full chip integration, Custom Analog, PLL, DACS, Distributed A/D, Pixels, Pitched Amplifiers/ Row Select Blocks/ Highly Compacted Pitched Digital blocks, Discreet Amplifiers, Pad frames - I/O. Area Array Sensors ≥ 37mp, LVDS 3GB/s+ w/full onboard programmable timing. Linear Arrays.
  • Calibre DRC, LVS verification, GDS Mask Tape Outs, Foundry submittal
  • Develop / Review 3rd party PCB projects, and custom sensor packaging
  • PCB design/layout. Mechanical dwg’s, and data sheet publishing / dwg’s / graphics.

    • Other Duties:

  • Accessing customer requirements, feasibility, and specifications. Customer application support
  • Marketing support- demo prep, graphics/artwork and trade show booth duties
  • Documentation Manager: oversee and implement processes, procedures, documentation control, and training. Sign off for engineering, and consult on ISO9001/documentation issues
  • Electro Optical and debug testing, prototype/jig design and fixturing

    • Jan. 1996 - Sept. 1998 Senior Printed Circuit Board Designer Philips Broadband Networks, Manlius, NY: Design Printed Circuit Boards (multi-layer, thru-hole/SMT, double sided, auto-insertion), Schematic entry, Assembly drawings, Documentation, and etc. High volume DFM, DFT, 850 MHz to 1 GHz designs. Cable TV, and Internet delivery products.

    Aug. 1988 - Jan. 1996 Engineering Specialist CID Technologies, Liverpool, NY: CAE/CAD design for CID imager based video cameras for use in military, industrial, aerospace, and radiation environment applications. FPGA/PGA/PAL design-implementation, schematic entry, simulation, PCB layouts. Prototyping - presentation quality. Eng. support (testing, calibration, documentation).

    Jan. 1980 - Mar. 1988 Engineering Technician Syracuse Scientific, Clay, NY: Design electronic assemblies / test fixtures for vidicon based video cameras used in medical x-ray systems. UL submittal documentation. Testing and prototyping to presentation level.

    Sept. 1978 - Jan. 1980 Engineering Technician Kipco / Omnetics, Clay, NY: Design and Prototype electronic assemblies and test fixtures, testing for industrial motor and lighting control products. Testing and prototyping to presentation level.

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