Responsible for research and development of single crystal silicon process and materials, for solar application during both engineering phase and steady state of the Solar and PV manufacturing of Reliance New Energy business. Build, develop, recruit and manage the process and materials organization in technology. Lead optimization of crystal process with technology provider and internal automation system. Provide active support during start up and ramp up of crystal process, quality and materials analysis. Co-develop graphite and crucible vendors in India in partnership with the technology provider meeting quality specifications and design requirement. Drive the technology roadmap and sustain evolutionary, and revolutionary crystal process and hot-zone development and materials research. Drive long term development of new platforms that provides competitive edge to the company. Build a strong innovation pipeline that is set up for profitable growth and differentiation in the market. Collaborate cross-functionality to ensure execution of strategic growth and financial goals of the organization.

As a key technology leader, managed a high-performing R&D team of engineers and scientists responsible for development, implementation, and continuous improvement of materials manufacturing and characterization technologies, specializing in semi-conductor grade Czochralski (CZ) for single crystal silicon and DSS Silicon technologies for multi-crystalline silicon crystals. Supported materials R&D functions with leading by example as a materials technology expert.The key responsibilities included strategic oversight of Silfex materials operating sites with the focus on materials production effectiveness and timeliness, materials quality, and meeting customer expectations. Investigated, drove and assisted in implementation of cost saving projects, process optimization, and productivity improvements related to existing processes along with the development and implementation of materials process and equipment standards to meet safety, productivity, and yield metrics. Maintained materials technology roadmaps and directed continuous improvements of materials technology. Improved and maintained processes by developing, validation, change control, process risk management, and root cause investigations. Managed the budget, timing, prioritization, and critical deliverables of the R&D team to meet the Annual Operating Plan (AOP). Owned technology implementation projects (concept and feasibility study, development of baseline technologies, technology transfer to production, production ramp and Continuous Improvement). Under my leadership, developed a new DSS process with 80% higher productivity saving $8M per year. In addition, this process was developed on an existing platform resulting capital avoidance was $40M. My team improved single crystalline process by converting an existing hot zone with an improved hot zone increasing productivity in HVM by 40% and also successfully transferred an advanced crystal process in a new platform saving multi million dollars per year.

In this role, I directed innovation and implementation of process and product development, building platforms for business segment of semi-conductor silicon electronic devices. I served as the company SME in silicon crystal technology, in addition to developing a reputation as a respected leader with a proven record of completing projects on time and excelling on cross-functional teams, utilizing exceptional interpersonal skills. Additionally, I have conceptualized a new platform for processing silicon, significantly impacting productivity and achieving best in class product capabilities. Some of my key accomplishments in this position include:• Spearheaded an R&D project on Continuous Czochralski Process (CCz), transferring it to High Volume Manufacturing, allowing multiple customers to attain revenue over $24M annually.• Awarded prestigious position of Fellow in the company, recognized for contributing to the understanding of science and engineering, developing new products, and generating multi-million dollar revenue on a consistent basis since joining the organization.• Played an integral role in achieving asset efficiency, introducing differentiated products into the market, and reducing costs while improving capabilities of existing products.• Improved yield and productivity of existing processes by 20 points and 50%, respectively, reaching a cost savings of $11M per year and adding $4M in revenue annually.

During my time in this role, I analyzed interaction of process parameters on the evolution of defects in single crystal silicon and designed the crystal growth process, incorporating the fundamental engineering based approach. I facilitated development of defect-free single crystal silicon Czochralski process for DRAM devices, in addition to very high resistivity single crystal silicon crystals with low oxygen for discrete devices. I also mentored and developed manufacturing engineers worldwide, as well as ensured smooth transition of innovative processes to mass production. A significant contribution that I would like to highlight is:• Achieved new annual revenue of $250M, capitalizing on innovative processes and products for semiconductor and solar applications and saving capital investment of $49M per year.

Throughout my tenure in this role, I oversaw process development, optimizing process window to create defect-free products, utilizing a combination of quantitative research methods and planned experiments. Additionally, I directed process and product development for DRAM market, producing revenue of $150M per year with leading customers. A highlight of my position includes:• Developed an innovative meltdown process, achieving capital cost savings of $30M per year while creating an additional capacity of 1200M tons of poly silicon annually.

In this experience, I collaborated with polysilicon manufacturers, assisting in the development of right quality polysilicon, utilizing single crystal process with high yield and quality. I also directed joint task force teams in data mining, identifying the correlation between parameters of CVD process and Czochralski process to improve the yield of single crystal processes. Key contributions I made to this experience include:• Engaged in a proprietary process of utilizing granular polysilicon in crystal growers, transferring the process to worldwide sites and enabling a capital savings of $38M per year.• Incorporated an improved batch process enabling growth of multiple crystals from each batch, achieving a savings of $30M annually.

Was responsible for development of hot zone materials and polysilicon that were used to grow single crystalline silicon including high temperature materials such graphite, and fused silica. Worked closely with suppliers of raw materials and chaired task force teams to make improvements in quality and properties to get the desired positive impact on silicon single crystals.Performed fundamental research on higher temperature chemical reaction between silica and graphite and reduced the cost of hot zone materials by $11M/year.