RICHARD H. BRUNING

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

 

ACCESS SYSTEMS & CIRCUITS, LLC, Fairport, NY, 2009-Current

Multidisciplinary Rapid Prototyping & Engineering Consulting. Specialties include system design & integration, electromechanical systems, embedded SW, troubleshooting and short run manufacturing.

 

Proprietor, Multidisciplinary Design, Prototyping, Consultation & Short Run Manufacturing.

 

Developed Precision Optics Packaging for JML Optical, Rochester, NY

• Designed custom high-density packaging for precision optical assemblies.

• Packaging securely cradles assemblies, protecting proud optical surfaces during both manufacturing and transport.

• The ASC solution exceeded all technical requirements where competitors’ designs and samples fell short.  (Verified by JML)

Created High-Temperature 3D Printer for use with High-Performance Materials. (Internal Project)

• Leveraging a commercial FDM platform, replaced plastic components with aluminum, installed IR heating, active stepper motor cooling, a high temperature extruder (455C) and heated print bed (170C).  This opened material options to the ULTEM series, PEI, PEEK, PSU, etc.

• Generated a printing “torture-test;” a parametric matrix of subtly changing and challenging test geometries providing insight into optimizing print quality and dimensional accuracy.

• Quantified interrelations between dimensional accuracy, surface quality, print speed, heating, cooling, layer thickness, support and infill structures by material; ABS, PLA, Nylon, PETG, HIPS, ASA, exotics and composites.

Built A Periodic Table of the Elements Interactive Display Populated with High-Purity Samples. (Internal Project – Display on Loan at The Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY)

• Created interactive user interface for The Periodic Table of the Elements display offering both public and expert modes for patrons viewing and staff lectures respectively.

• Sourced a full set of high-purity and natural elemental samples. (most >1gm and 99+%) Hazardous samples, with safety the highest priority, are equally visible through robust risk mitigation.

• Gas samples, contained within glass ampoules, are anchored by 3D-printed mounts and illuminated with high voltage electrodes. Gas discharge reveals each unique emission spectra.

• Each samples’ cubicle features full-color interactive, multidirectional illumination. The independent graphical user interface controls the explorative experience.

• Designed & Constructed the 7x4’ red oak display curio in the classic Moseley arrangement.

 

​

CORNING FAIRPORT, Fairport, NY, 2017-2018

One of the world's leading innovators in materials sciences; specialty glass, ceramics, and related technologies.

 

Senior Optical Metrology / Design Engineer

​

Designed and created high-power 365nm illuminator and excimer laser window test stations.

Created Test Bench Control, Test System and user interface for large-field 365 nm Illuminator.

• Designed control system driving customer-provided high-power light source.  SW monitored source current, intensity & temperature while synchronously controlling motors, cameras and logging critical illuminator system performance.

• Test software measured illuminator intensity, uniformity and telecentricity.  Data was analyzed and transformed into comprehensive reports including the deliverable certificate of compliance.

• Later enhanced software to measure parameters via several mutually-exclusive, unique processing techniques increasing measurement certainty and betraying more measurement artifacts.

Designed & Created Excimer Laser Window Exposure Unit Utilizing Colinear CO2/650nm Lasers.

• System determined crystal orientation of birefringent excimer laser windows. Birefringent properties are amplified by (CO2 laser) heating, while a colinear visible beam provided aiming.

• Designed mechanics, fully-enclosed beam path, redundant electronic and physical safety measures and beam combining optics.

• Designed the complete exposure system to seamlessly integrate with the existing customer-supplied measurement software.

Regularly prototyped components for advancing Corning’s product research and development.

• Access Systems & Circuits provided custom components at no cost, outside of normal work hours.

 

 

QUALITY VISION INTERNATIONAL, Rochester, NY, 2011-2015

Metrology systems for quality control and a wide range of manufacturing and research industries.

 

Senior Research & Development Engineer

​

Research, Development and Prototyping of precision metrology equipment and products.

Significantly Improved Performance of PCI Distance Measuring Module.

• Developed pulsed-width modulation control scheme powering the SLED, improving performance of the partial coherence distance measuring interferometer by stabilizing central source frequency.

• Significantly enhanced hardware, embedded software and firmware reducing manufacturing cost, doubling system accuracy, linearity and measurement resolution.

Authored specifications and sourced components for next-generation high-speed PCI module.

• New design increased data acquisition and analysis speed 20X with no degradation in precision.

Designed optomechanics for polychromatic non-contact distance measuring optical objective.

• Design reduced manufacturing cost, complexity, and improved system performance.

 

 

ACCESS SYSTEMS & CIRCUITS, LLC, Fairport, NY, 2009-Current

 

Proprietor, Sr. Multidisciplinary Engineer, Full System Prototyping and Consulting.

 

Designed Hardware / Software System for 3D Laser Metrology Company.

• SW/HW module dramatically improved product performance by reducing distinguishing artifacts from true sample geometry.  Improvements included introducing polarization, parallax and laser modulation.

Developed software for generating non-circular planetary gear designs in MATLAB. (internal project)

• Parametric application generates a unique ring gear given an arbitrarily-shaped sun gear and circular planet gears. SW generates AutoCAD files for fabrication. Created 7 and 5-planet designs.

Designed and Built 130W CO2 CNC Laser Cutting Machine with 4x2’ capacity (internal project)

• Quickly and cleanly cuts >½” plywood, with front feedthrough permitting unlimited Y-axis length.

 

​

TROPEL CORPORATION, Fairport, NY 2001-2009

World leader in precision optical subsystems and advanced-form metrology instrumentation for the semiconductor, data storage, military / aerospace industries.

 

Senior Precision Test Engineer

Designed, automated, qualified and quantified numerous test stations for the development of precision semiconductor, military/aerospace, and high technology industries. Work combined mechatronics, automation, control and synchronization of multiple cameras, stage axes, actuators, and sensors. Partnered with customers, internal and external, designing and creating new precision opto-electromechanical products.

 

Precision metrology design for high-performance, variable NA, deep ultraviolet illumination system.

• Improved performance and lifetime of mask inspection illuminator by 250% for Applied Materials.

• Improvements contributed directly to generating $2.5MM in new business.

Designed & prototyped system mechatronics & metrology for Swedish semiconductor equipment company’s next-generation 193nm mask inspection system.

• Deepened relationship between organizations, providing consistent future project pipeline.

• Helped Tropel grow its leading-edge capabilities in precision DUV modular systems.

Technical Lead; Test Design and Precision Metrology for 193nm excimer laser energy monitor.

• Grew key performance metrics through improved metrology.  This provided insight into sapphire transducer manufacturing processes and inherent IR fluorescence.

• Designed and built automated test system slashing failure rates by 90%, enabling complete hand-off to manufacturing. System is in use to date. (2020)

 

Laser Radiometry SME and Metrology Engineer

Developed laser measurement systems and techniques for pulsed and CW lasers covering DUV though VIS wavelengths.  Work emphasized authentic accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility.

 

Developed Tropel’s excimer laser radiometry capabilities through research, development, adaptation and implimentation of leading-edge techniques.

• Improved radiometry in accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility by an order of magnitude.

• Attended NIST’s on-site Laser Radiometry Course, Boulder, CO.

• Increased company-wide confidence in transmission/reflectivity measurements by utilizing traditional and newly-acquired techniques as well as introducing NIST traceability processes. 

• Filed invention disclosure for 193nm integrating sphere.

• Radiometry improvements led to stronger, cleaner, proprietary optical potting compounds and coatings.

• Improved methods benefitted high-fluence optical life-testing studies with greater repeatability lasting billions of laser pulses, over one and a one half years.

• Awarded Corning “Specialty Materials Division Cash Award” (5% annual salary) for radiometry and life testing work on 193nm semiconductor illuminator project.

 

​

TURNSTONE SYSTEMS, Santa Clara, CA 1999-2001

Develops loop management systems that enable rapid deployment and maintenance of DSL services

 

Electronic Design Engineer

Designed DSL multiplexing boards for start-up telecom manufacturer.

• Developed 24x24 line telecom-hardened copper cross-connect multiplexing board.

• Verified board operation to telecom standards, including Hi-Pot, EMI, isolation and flame tests.

 

 

KLA-TENCOR, San Jose, CA 1996-1999

Offers the industry's widest range of best-of-breed inspection and metrology tools, combined with industry-leading process control expertise for semiconductor and integrated circuit fabrication.

 

Electronic Design Engineer

Worked on high-performance multichannel video board development team. Designed timing & actuator boards. Contributed with the design, schematic capture, and FPGA programming in Verilog.

• Video board captured and streamed synchronous detected geometric data and video for precision reticle inspection.

• Upgraded system actuator board for reticle inspection system.

 

​

XEROX, PRECISION PRINTING UNIT, Rochester, NY 1995-1996

Business Services and Digital Printing Solutions

 

Imaging Standards Researcher

Designed test patterns, and digitally quantified / standardized xerographic artifacts.

• Designed a comprehensive test pattern for new commercial (Lexmark) desktop color inkjet printer.

• Spearheaded efforts to replace subjective diagnostics through the development of a method to digitally (objectively) standardize “background” or stray toner. System utilized automated stages, microscope and camera, yielding automated, objective background toner analysis.

 

​

​

EDUCATION

 

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

MSEE focused upon discrete & continuous time control. Masters paper covering active sound attenuation.

 

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Dual degrees; BSEE & BSME focused upon combining electrical, mechanical, and systems disciplines.

 

​

COMPETENCIES & INTERESTS

 

In House Design Capabilities:

 

SolidWorks 2019 • IAR Embedded Workbench •National Instruments LabWindows 2019 • Proficiency in ANSI C, MATLAB • DipTrace Schematic Capture & PCB Layout • Microsoft Windows 10 Pro, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point • Corel Graphics Suite

 

In House Creation Capabilities:

 

Addidtative Manufacturing; FDM, SLA, nylon SLS • CNC Mills; metal and 2.5D, Gunsmith Lathe, CNC Laser Cutting (organics, 2 systems) • Vacuum Forming • Structured Light Scanning • Comprehensive Mixed-Signal Electronic Prototyping

 

Interests:

 

Science, Math, Philosophy, Psychology & Consciousness • Tutoring • Electronic, Kinetic Art, Mixed Media & Sculpture • Stock Trading • Drums, Percussion and Music • Alternative Photography

​