Thamarai Kannan T.

Experience

• Optical & Mechanical Design Engineer Freelancer · Freelance Feb 2022 – Present 4 yrs 5 mos Coimbatore, TN, India - Designed and validated optical systems for microscopy and imaging applications based on customer requirements. - Developed illumination and imaging paths, optimized performance using Zemax simulations. - Designed opto-mechanical components using SolidWorks and AutoCAD with manufacturability in mind. - Selected optical components, prepared BOMs, and supported system assembly and debugging.
  Optical relevance: End-to-end optical design ownership from concept to prototype.
• EUV System Engineer ASML · Full-time Jan 2023 – May 2026 3 yrs 4 mos Veldhoven, NB, Netherlands - Calibrated, adjusted, and performance qualified EUV lithography systems against strict optical and system-level
  specifications.
  - Executed system-level troubleshooting using error codes,root-cause analysis, and structured escalation processes. - Conducted hands-on optical, mechanical, and system adjustments within ISO cleanroom environments.
  - Supported new system introductions by identifying optical and process bottlenecks and proposing improvements.
  - Logged optical performance, process data, and qualification results in SAP and technical databases, ensuring
  traceability and quality compliance.
  Optical relevance: High-precision system calibration, performance validation, cross-disciplinary troubleshooting, EUV
  optics exposure, laser tracker, theodolite, Spatial Analyzer.
• Optical Systems Intern Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics · Internship Oct 2018 – Apr 2026 7 yrs 6 mos Hanover, NDS, Germany - Commissioned, calibrated and validated a multi-interferometer optical measurement system with nano meter resolution
  for satellite laser communication system application. - Diagnosed misalignments and damaged optical components across seven interferometers using various optical alignment
  methods using lab equipments. - Designed precision opto-mechanical parts for realignment and integration using Zemax and Solidworks. - Validated system performance using photodiodes, oscilloscopes, and MATLAB-based signal processing.
  Optical relevance: Interferometry, alignment, precision optics, metrology, Laser tracking, Theodolite, Spatial analysis.
• Master Thesis/Research Intern–Optical Sensor Development Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology · Internship Oct 2020 – Jul 2021 9 mos Aachen, NRW, Germany - Designed, developed, tested and validated a functional IR optical scanner with spectrometer for real-time monitoring of
  additive manufacturing quality. - Designed and optimized optical layouts (illumination, projection, imaging) using Zemax. - Performed aberration correction using Zernike polynomials and finalized optical component selection. - Assembled an opto-mechatronic IR sensor and validated system performance through image and signal processing
  in MATLAB.
  Optical relevance: IR optics, sensor design, aberration theory, experimental validation, Laser tracking, Spatial analysis
• Research Project–3D Optical DepthSensor Leibniz Universität · Internship Nov 2019 – Feb 2020 3 mos Hanover, NDS, Germany - Designed a 3D depth sensing system for smart warehouse applications. - Selected suitable 3D imaging principles based on literature review and system requirements. - Built an experimental prototype and processed 3D data using Python.
  Optical relevance: 3D imaging principles, system prototyping, data processing.