SIMIN MOKHTARI, Ph.D.
Email: simin@powertekinc.com
SUMMARY
Extensive experience in Thermal engineering, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Multi-Physics
modeling for design and new product development of Semiconductor Capital Equipment Manufacturers
and Thermal Wafer Processing Equipment for microelectronics and photovoltaic industries. Strong
analytical background in the area of thermo-fluids with emphasis on CFD analysis of fluid flow, heat
transfer, and reacting flows. Experience in Business Development, Technical Training, Marketing and
Sales of commercial CFD software. Experience in CFD/Thermal engineering project management.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE – Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturing Industry
 Power TEK Consulting Inc., San Jose, CA
Co-founder, Principal Consultant, 9/2009-8/2011
 ESI North America, Inc., San Jose, CA
Engineering Director, 8/2011-2/2013
 AVIZA Technology Inc., Scotts Valley, CA
Sr. Development Engineer, 2003-6/2009
 ASML Thermal Systems, Scotts Valley, CA
Sr. Staff Member, 2001-2003
 Silicon Valley Group, Thermal System, Scotts Valley, CA
Consultant, 1998-2001
 Watkins-Johnson Company, Semiconductor Equipment Group, Scotts Valley, CA
Member of Technical Staff, 1993-1998
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE - Aeronautics
 NASA-Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, CA
Research Associate, 1992-1993
 NASA-Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH
Research Associate, 1990-1992
Accomplishments:
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Expanded ESI business in Silicon Valley - Responsibilities have included establishment of an
office in Silicon Valley, project management and provision of engineering services to ESI
clients, strategic marketing, new business development focused on Semiconductor and Solar
Industries, establishing partnerships with local companies, academia, and national labs in
government funded projects, software training and seminar presentations
Started the CFD modeling and simulation group at Watkins-Johnson Company over sixteen
years ago in support of Design and Engineering efforts
Performed CFD simulations for Product Design & Development of semiconductor capital
equipment including; Thermal Atmospheric Pressure CVD, Sub-Atmospheric CVD, Thermal
Batch Furnaces, High Density ICP Plasma reactor and Atomic Layer Deposition systems
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Participated in design team efforts to start up new product lines within the company including:
WJ1500 APCVD conveyer belt system and the next generation of Sub-Atmospheric CVD
systems from concept to product manufacturing, CFD modeling lead engineer to develop
technical roadmap for equipment design and optimization of high deposition rate CVD reactors
for solar cell manufacturing industry
Using complex 3D transient models designed and analyzed components of single wafer ALD
tools, including showerhead injectors and exhaust vents for maximum film uniformity,
chemical efficiency and containment
Performed flow, thermal and radiation simulations of Batch Thermal Furnaces for the design
of vertical chemical delivery systems and cross flow chambers to improve wafer-to-wafer and
with-in-wafer film uniformity as well as to increase equipment run time
Developed and calibrated a comprehensive TEOS/O3 mechanism for SiO2 thermal process and
characterized CVD processes for SiO2, SnO2 and TiO2 films
Thermal design, process optimization and characterization of chemical delivery systems, linear
injectors, cross-flow injectors, cooling systems and heat exchangers, deposition chambers,
exhaust systems, bubblers, heaters, process muffles, conveyer belts, shields, etchers, etc.
Provided technical consulting services in support of R&D, sustaining engineering,
manufacturing, and marketing operations
Collaborated with research establishments including: Stanford University, U.C. San Diego,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Sandia National Laboratories (Livermore,
Albuquerque), and Massachusetts Institute of Technology for various research projects
Contributed to business development activities and strategic marketing by making numerous
publications and presentations at technical journals and conferences
Integration of an advanced turbulence model in an efficient Parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS)
code for calculation of high speed internal flows
Application and validation of the PNS code for supersonic and hypersonic chemical reacting
inlet flows associated with airframe propulsion systems
EXPERIENCE - Academia
 Center for Computational Mechanics, The University of Akron, Akron, OH
Research Assistant, 1989-1990
 Development of new computational algorithms using finite-difference and finite-volume
techniques for modeling of convection terms
 The University of Akron,
Instructor, Teaching Assistant, 1985-1989
Computational Modeling Areas of Expertise
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Over sixteen years of experience in design of semiconductor processing equipment, beginning
1993 at Watkins-Johnson Company
Over eighteen years of experience in Multi-Physics modeling including fluid flow, heat
transfer (conduction, forced and natural convection), radiation, thermal stress, linear and nonlinear (material & geometrical) structural analysis coupled with heat transfer, turbulence,
chemical reactions, two-phase flow and feature-scale modeling
Extensive experience using commercial software including Fluent, RAMPANT, ALGOR,
SPEEDIE and EVOLVE (profile modeling) and CFD-ACE+ product lines
EDUCATION
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Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D., The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 1985-1991
Aeronautics, Fluid and Structural Mechanics, M.Sc., Imperial College of Science and
Technology, The University of London, London, England, 1981-1982
Aeronautical Engineering, B.Sc. Imperial College of Science and Technology, The
University of London, London, England, 1978-1981
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
“Shape Optimization of the APCVD Reactor Chamber Using CFD-ACE Software Package”, Int.
Symposium on Computational Technologies for Fluid/Thermal/Chemical Systems with Industrial
Applications, 1998 ASME/JSME Joint PVP Conference, July 26-30, San Diego, CA, with V. Kudriavtsev
et al.
“Fluid Flow Modeling in the HDP Plasma Chamber Prototype: Convective vs. Diffusion Mass
Transport”, Special Note, 15th International VLSI Multilevel Interconnect Conference, June 15-19, 1998,
with V. Kudriavtsev et al.
“Flow Uniformity and Pressure Variation in Multi-Outlet Flow Distribution Pipes”, ASME Vol. PVP355,/Ed. by K.K. Panahi, Advances in Analytical, Experimental and Computational Techniques in Fluids,
Structures, Transients and Natural Hazards, ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, July 1997,
with V. Kudriavtsev.
“Mechanisms of Deposition of SiO2 from TEOS and Related Organosilicon Compounds and Ozone”,
Journal of Electrochemical Society, Vol. 142, No. 7, July 1995, with Daniel Dobkin.
“ULTRA-SHARP Solution of the Smith-Hutton Problem”, NASA Technical Memorandum, Institute for
Computational Mechanics in Propulsion, 1991, with B. P. Leonard.
“Beyond First-Order Up winding: The Ultra-Sharp Alternative for Steady-State Convection Simulations”,
International journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, Vol. 10, 1988, with B.P. Leonard.
“Longitudinal Vortices in Wind Tunnel Wall Boundary Layers”, The Aeronautical Journal of the Royal
Aeronautical Society, P. 233-236, 1983 with P. Bradshaw
AFFILIATIONS
Member of City & Guilds at Imperial College
Member of President’s Advisory Committee at California State University, Stanislaus