Rod Martens

Manage team of 9 R&D scientists. Initiate research projects to meet the needs of ten business units around the world in the areas of surface science, tribology/contact physics, additive manufacturing materials and failure analysis.

Assumed increasing responsibility from individual contributor to Senior Director in charge of three groups. • Defined and funded research engagement with MIT to develop and productize vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNT) for use as extremely fine pitch (20m) wafer level contact features resulting in a product shipping for revenue. Three patents granted, one conference prize paper award. • Developed MicroForce™ technology which extended FormFactor’s MicroSpring™ technology into previously unobtainable design spaces resulting in retaining a key customer and multimillion-dollar revenues. Four patents granted. • Managed quality, reliability and failure analysis groups with cradle to grave product responsibility. • Developed performance-based disposition criteria resulting in higher back end yield with no impact to field performance.

Managed process and manufacturing development efforts betweens teams of internal and external resources located across the U.S. Oversaw reliability testing and improvement for soldered and socketed solutions on high-reliability server products. * Developed new qualification processes for server DIMM modules and LGA sockets in high-reliability servers. * Conducted root cause analysis for an issue severely impacting server board manufacture and delivery. Identified cause and designed test boards and test procedures to reproduce failure signature. Served as an advisor to the industry standards board for adoption of the enhanced test practices. * Developed processes to solder large flipchip dies onto thin laminate surfaces. * Managed the team responsible for identifying and resolving an issue with increased memory errors in servers. * Served as member of EIA 364-1000 steering committee tasked with improving industry testing for LGA socket reliability.

* Designed universal energy absorbing cab and roll over protective structure (ROPS) using nonlinear FEA modeling. This design has been in use for over 25 years and is currently incorporated into Caterpillar trucks shipping today. * Designed an inter-axle differential for 85-ton mechanical drive mining truck. Managed purchasing, manufacturing, and customer stakeholders. Supervised testing and successful on-site installation. * Performed failure analysis of a 240-ton truck rollover incident in Chuquicamata, Chile using non-linear FEM techniques. Truck performance parameters were modeled in terms of grade, speed, load, and turning radius. Results allowed field engineers to make necessary adjustments to suspensions to prevent further incidents. * Designed and analyzed a frame for a 280-ton truck using ANSYS. Developed post-processing algorithm to display fatigue life contour plots to identify problem areas in the design.

Dissertation work focused toward modeling and testing the reliability of electrical contacts. Supported research performed by leading research organizations as a contracted resource. Key Achievements:  Invented an automated contact resistance probe used to assess the reliability of electrical contacts.  Secured more than $50,000 in new research funding.  Provided test services for Bell Laboratories for evaluation of new contact metallurgies.  Studied the reliability of gold to gold pressure contact assemblies.  Determined the optimal specifications for pin probes used in hand held medical devices for Medtest Systems.