Employee Spotlight: Senior Director of Technology Huiling Zhu

Huiling Zhu is the Senior Director of Technology here at Energetiq. We sat down to learn what led him to work with advanced light source technology and his favorite things about Energetiq. See what he had to say! 

Why did you choose this industry?

I would say that I chose to develop specific products rather than join a particular industry. My training in physics and working experience in plasma technology gave me the background to shine in Energetiq’s product development. Developing our Laser-Driven Light Source (LDLS) and Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) radiation sources requires knowledge in plasma physics, optics, material science, electrical engineering, heat transfer, and radiometry.

My first job in the US was at OSARM for six years in the high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp R&D group. Later, I worked for Panasonic lighting for nine years involving ceramic body HID lamp developments. Even today, with the proliferation of LEDs, HID lamps are still used for highway, supermarket, and sports stadium illuminations with powers up to 2,000W. My curiosity and continuous learning during those working years helped me accumulate technical knowledge in wide fields.

What is your favorite aspect of working at Energetiq?

My three favorite aspects of working at Energetiq:

• It is a relatively small company with a flat management structure. Your contributions will stand out in the whole company and attract the attention of the top management.
• It also belongs to a reputable company, Hamamatsu, with a global reach.
• Energetiq’s culture of diversity and inclusion provides everyone in the company a welcome and respectful environment for contributing to our common goals. Person-to-person relationships are built on trust, respect, and open communications. This company culture allows us to focus on customer satisfaction and rapidly deliver new products to customers through innovation and continuous improvements.

What is a fun fact about yourself somebody may not know?

In 2006, I left my last employer due to its restructuring. Unknown to me, Energetiq just signed a contract with a customer for deep UV light source research for semiconductor metrology applications and urgently needed to fill the researcher position..

After seeing the job ads, I did one thing differently from the others. I did my research and found the CTO's contact information. Instead of submitting my resume and cover letter through HR, I directly mailed the hard copies to the CTO. I received his phone call two days later, and the rest is history.

Since I was available immediately, several people who interviewed me were surprised to see me come to work the second week after my interview. They said, “We offered several jobs the last several weeks, and you beat all of them at the door!"

Check back for more Employee Spotlights to meet the rest of the Energetiq team! 

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