Steven Stowell

2900 Clear Hill Lane Mount Airy, MD 21771 Telephone: 410-635-6618 Mobile: 240-994-1308 Email: SCStowell@gmail.com

Career Objective: A creative role in the practical implementation of the latest generation of electronic hardware,
with an emphasis on mechanical design

Expertise in:
A variety of industrial materials processing techniques including die casting, SMC technology, hot and cold pressing of powder compacts, thick film (screen printing) techniques, bulk ceramic processing techniques, metal machining, finishing and passivation (chromate conversion and similar) technologies, urethane potting Thermal and reliability analysis, heat sinking strategies A wide range of materials thin film deposition techniques, including RF sputtering, Direct Liquid Injection Metallorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (DLI-MOCVD) of perovskite oxides, Reactive Ion Etching of perovskite oxides, Metallorganic Solution Deposition (MOSD) of complex oxides, and finish application of hydrophobic materials. Characterization of materials with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), X-ray Photonic Scattering (XPS), Variable Angle Scanning Ellipsometry (VASE), Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), Thermo-gravitometric analysis (TGA), High temperature dilatometry, Impedance Spectroscopy, and Optical Microscopy including Liquid Contact Angle measurement. Factory controls including leak detection, assembly mechanics, and reliability testing. Statistics and associated software, using Statistica and Minitab for gage repeatability and reproducibility, x bar r, probability plotting, Weibul analysis, corner lot checking, Taguchi (and other) optimization methods, acceptance quality levels Measurement methods for materials, devices, and electronic assemblies using network analyzers, impedance gain analyzer, coordinate measurement machine (CMM), programmable optical measurement (SMART scope), and photogrammetry. Expert at supplementing these measurements with other software (Surfer, PCDMIS) Assessment and creative implementation of supplier capabilities. Testing and setting production controls of Ku and Ka band satellite passive hardware including hydrophobic coating tests, antenna contour checks, antenna mechanics checks, and antenna range measurements Creative cost reduction of microwave parts

Other Highlights
Over 15 publications 7 patents issued Co-founder of specialty microwave component company Co-founder of a community biology laboratory Co-founder of a Baltimore hackerspace

Employment History:
August 2005 to Present. Senior Production Engineer, Current Group Mechanical part vendor selection and control, with emphasis on Mexico and China supply chains. Responsible for the selection, qualification and approval of 20 different die cast, sheet metal, plastic injection mold, and bulk molding compound tools. Thermal and reliability analysis of electronic components outdoor network elements. Mechanical design correction and cost reduction. Developed proficiency at Sold Works, a common mechanical design software package Electronic design troubleshooting in a high voltage, high power environment. Designed and assembled leak detection factory controls using vacuum chambers.

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Steven Stowell
2900 Clear Hill Lane Mount Airy, MD 21771 Telephone: 410-635-6618 Mobile: 240-994-1308 Email: SCStowell@gmail.com

September 1999 to August 2005. Principal Engineer, Materials Engineering, Hughes Network Systems Vendor selection using lowest cost of ownership analysis, statistical analysis, and technical support for antennas and waveguide diplexers and filters. Co-inventor of waveguide sealing process. Efforts on manufacture of diplexer resulted in about 50% cost reduction of part, saving HNS over $1 million annually. Yield improvements and leak detection work resulted in more than 50% improvement in field reliability, and cost reductions on the order of $1 million annually. Developed (with others) overseas supplier of waveguide multi-plexer for Direcway product line. Implemented production controls at suppliers. This product represented several milestones for HNS, including first zinc die cast multi-plexer, first time creation of like parts for overseas (Taiwan) vendor (previous history was with domestic supplier). Developed production controls of Direcway antennas. Contributed to Spaceway Ka antenna vendor controls and technical qualification, design to manufacture, setup of production controls, material characterization of various mechanical and passive parts. Responsible for establishment of factory controls of leaks using pressure fade equipment. Support for improved assembly of outdoor units integrating Ku and Ka band mimic power amplifiers, voltage controlled oscillators, and LNBs, etc. May 1998 to July 1999, Vice President of Research and Technology, Paratek Microwave, Inc Co-founder of electronics company specializing in implementation of new materials that have a tunable dielectric constant, for use in tunable filters and phased array antennas. Duties included business planning, proposal writing, cash flow analysis, as well as head of product development effort. May 1996 to May 1998, Engineer, Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Aberdeen, MD Member of microwave materials team. Designed and implemented thin film deposition of tunable dielectric materials, including Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) assisted Direct Liquid Injection Metal-organic Chemical Vapor Deposition system, RF sputtering system, and Metallorganic Solution Deposition (MOSD) system. Fabricated thin film barium strontium titanate (BST) composites from MOSD and RF sputtering. Developed low temperature firing of thick film BST composite ceramic materials using liquid phase sintering together with particle size engineering. Two invention disclosures during this period. September 1994 to May 1996, Engineer on Long Term Training at Virginia Polytechnic State Institute Won Army-sponsored long-term training in the specialized area of Ferroelectric Thin Films, as a member of the Thin Films Lab team. Assembled DLI MOCVD, performed Reactive Ion Etching of BST ceramics, did reactive sputtering to deposit metal oxide electrodes. Deposited thin complex oxide films using MOSD technique. Designed phase shifters using Greens Function microwave software (Zeland). Coursework included solid state physics, microwave theory and laboratory, electromagnetic propagation through solids, and VLSI technology. One invention disclosure and three publications during this period. September 1988 to September 1994, Technician and later Mechanical Engineer, Ceramics Research Branch, Army Research Laboratory, Watertown, MA. Developed (with others) tunable dielectric technology for phased array applications including test procedures for dielectric measurement under very high voltage bias for low frequency parameterization, thick film techniques for metallization and deposition of dielectric composite materials.

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Steven Stowell
2900 Clear Hill Lane Mount Airy, MD 21771 Telephone: 410-635-6618 Mobile: 240-994-1308 Email: SCStowell@gmail.com Various studies of ceramics for engine and armor applications. Did high temperature static testing of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and zirconia composites. Did probability studies (Weibul analysis) of mechanical testing to isolate flaws. Developed high temperature elasticity testing. Fabricated aluminum nitride/silicon carbide fiber reinforced ceramics using vacuum hot pressing. Did fracture toughness testing. Developed first analysis at ARL of super-plastic behavior of zirconium composites. Built furnaces and mechanical testing equipment.

Education:
1992 B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University

Patents (co-inventor on all)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ceramic Ferroelectric Material, #5,312,790 May 1994, Ceramic Ferroelectric Composite Material- BSTO-ZrO2, #5,486,491 Ceramic Ferroelectric Composite Material- BSTO-MgO, #5,486,491, Electronically Graded Multilayer Ferroelectric Composites, #5,693,429, Ferroelectric thin film composites made by metalorganic decomposition, #6,071,555 Ceramic ferroelectric materials with enhanced electronic properties BSTO-Mg based compound rare earth oxide, #6,074,971 Microwave waveguide assembly and method for making same., #6,560,850

Partial List of Publications

1. 2. 3. 4. Sengupta, L. C., Ngo, E., Sengupta, S., Stowell, S. C., Multi-process Synthesis of Novel Ferroelectric Oxide Ceramic Composites for Use in Phased Array Antennas, Proceedings of the Army Science Conference, 1, 15-19 (1996) Stowell, S. C., Desu, S. B., Sengupta, S. Reactive Ion Etching of Barium Strontium Titanate/Oxide Composites Proceedings of 10th IEEE International Symposium on Applications of Ferroelectrics IEEE#96CH35948 [2], 859-862 (1997) Joshi, P. C., Ramanathan, S., Desu, S. B., Stowell, S. C., Microstructural and Electrical Characteristics of Rapid Thermally Processed (Ba1-xSrx)TiO3 Thin Films Prepared by Metallorganic Solution Deposition Technique. Thin Solid Films (June 1997) Stowell, S. C., Sengupta, S., Joshi, P.C., Sengupta, L. C., Effect of Doping on the Electrical Properties of (Ba 1xSrx)TiO 3 Thin Films Fabricated by MOSD Technique (1997)

Awards
2002 Quality Champion Award (with others on Outdoor Unit yield improvement team) References available on request.

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