Ruslan Popov

+ Industrial scale-up and technology transfer of a PLD thin-film deposition process from laboratory setup to pilot production (100 m coated tapes) + Definition of process windows, key control parameters, and quality criteria for stable manufacturing + Equipment qualification, yield improvement, and process stabilization + Cross-functional collaboration with equipment engineers, technicians, and external partners (CERN) + Preparation of SOPs and technical documentation and training of technical staff

+ End-to-end process ownership for Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) of functional oxide thin films + Applied DoE, SPC , and RCA to systematically improve yield and reproducibility by >30% + Expertise in photolithography, wet-chemical cleaning/etching, high-vacuum systems, and furnace annealing + Defect analysis and process optimization using SEM/EDX, AFM, and XRD to correlate film structure with performance + Developed a novel oxygen annealing process that doubled thin-film performance

+ Operated and maintained laser-based processing systems for thin-film modification of semiconductor materials (a-Si:H) + Performed material characterization using Raman spectroscopy and supported process feedback loops for experimental optimization + Gained hands-on experience in cleanroom protocols and vacuum system operation + Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams on process development and data analysis