Erik D. Kim

Staff Sensor Characterization Engineer at Waymo

San Francisco Bay Area

About

Experience

  • Waymo (Full-time · 6 yrs)
    • Staff Sensor Characterization Engineer
      Aug 2024 - Present · 2 yrs

    • Senior Sensor Characterization Engineer
      Aug 2020 - Jul 2024 · 4 yrs

  • Optics Characterization Engineer at TekPartners, at Waymo
    Apr 2019 - Aug 2020 · 1 yr 5 mos

    · Developing an optical setup for the goniometric characterization of light sources and cameras used in key subsystems of Waymo's self-driving car. · Developing the hardware and software components of sensor characterization setups for the evaluation of potential image sensors for next-gen on vehicle cameras. · Writing and contributing python code for experimental control, data acquisition, and data analysis/visualization related activities.

  • Staff Optical Engineer at Synaptics Incorporated
    Jan 2017 - Oct 2018 · 1 yr 10 mos

    · Created new optics simulations incorporating the effects of diffraction to model the performance of Synaptics' award-winning Clear ID FS9500 mobile in-display fingerprint sensor to help guide future product designs. · Developed and operated optical setups for the characterization of mobile displays and optical fingerprint sensor components to determine optimal hardware configurations. · Built and deployed a compact imaging system to quantify the impact of finger surface condition on the optical contact between finger and mobile phone cover glass. · Tested CMOS image sensor modules under various firmware configurations to quantify image uniformity, digital number, hot pixels, dark noise, and image defects. · Drove the development of mathematical models of the image artifacts that arise from the interaction between mobile display and optical fingerprint sensor.

  • Optical Metrology Engineer at HGST, a Western Digital company
    Apr 2013 - Jan 2017 · 3 yrs 10 mos

    · Oversaw the operation of and analysis of data from multiple optical tools responsible for imaging and characterizing hard-drive head components in development across all product lines. · Developed new optical test procedures and analysis methods to extract new performance parameters from both steady state and transient measurements of flying heads. · Devised new head component optical tests to confirm and characterize a new head failure mechanism responsible for degrading head reliability and drive capacity in current and next-gen products. · Collaborated with drive and component test teams in both Japan and the Philippines to develop back-end manufacturing process solutions to recently discovered head component issues.

  • Product Development Engineer, Wafer Inspection Group at KLA-Tencor
    Oct 2011 - Apr 2013 · 1 yr 7 mos

    · Collaborated with optical engineers, mechanical engineers, software engineers, and research scientists to develop, characterize, and validate critical light source components for KLA-Tencor's broadband patterned wafer defect inspection systems. · Developed and operated experimental benches integrating high power fiber lasers, pressurized lamps, UV optics, optical sensors, and control hardware both to characterize the optical properties of laser-driven plasmas and to evaluate the performance of subsystem prototypes. · Built an experimental bench that successfully demonstrated pulsed optical ignition of a lamp without lamp glass damage and established a range of safe operating pulse energies. · Presented key results to research scientists and engineering management. · Contributed to statistical process control efforts on newly manufactured tools to determine the root cause of tool-to-tool variations in optical performance prior to shipping.