2 minute read
Quantum Devices - Samantha Ludt
2021 Women in Engineering
Samantha Lundt
Bachelor of Science – Physics, Bachelor of Science – Astrophysics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Samantha Lundt has worked as Quantum Devices’ Manufacturing Process Engineer for 5 years. Her primary duties include overseeing the company’s semiconductor cleanroom processes. Samantha earned two bachelor of science degrees from the University of WisconsinMadison, in Physics and Astrophysics. She earned the Hilldale Fellowship for undergraduate research in radio astronomy, studying the Magellanic Stream alongside members of the GALFA survey. Additionally, she returned to UW-Madison during the fi rst 2 years of employment at Quantum Devices where she continued her education in semiconductor device physics and fabrication.
Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation?
When I walked into the building for a facility tour, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a large percentage of the workforce were women, spread across the company from the assembly fl oor all the way up to department managers. Quantum Devices is a family-owned company, and the current operations is handled by the secondgeneration. Therefore, they understand the value of family and the complexity of working full time while balancing home life. During the challenges of 2020, the team was fl exible in terms of work arrangements for those of us with children who ended up being virtual for an extended period of time. Thankfully, none of my male colleagues treat me differently for being a woman. Even people who may have been skeptical originally were more open to collaboration once they saw that I had expertise in semiconductor fabrication technology, and that I truly listened to their concerns. The realization that I was there to help make sure everything went smoothly and more effi ciently made the barriers vanish.
Describe a recent company project (in which you were involved) that went particularly well.
We are actually in the midst of this project right now. Quantum Devices makes its own silicon sensors for use in their encoder products. Due to the landscape of the electronics industry over the last couple of years, it was recognized that the company needed to upgrade all aspects of their cleanroom to accommodate new fabrication techniques, as well as larger, more readily available silicon wafers. This has been a multi-year project that has had its shares of successes and set-backs. That being said, the successes have come from collaboration between all members of the engineering team, countless hours of experiments and verifi cations, and the dedication to maintaining the quality product that our customers have come to expect. By going through this upgrade process rather than outsourcing our fab, we are striving to grow and move our business in new directions.
