Mudassar Iqbal

Changhua, Taiwan | Email: raimudassar001@gmail.com | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raimudassar | Website: https://www.mudassar.uk

Professional Summary

Dedicated Thin-Film & Process Engineer with 3+ years of cleanroom semiconductor fabrication and display technology experience. Graduated with a perfect 4.0/4.0 GPA in Master of Science in Physics from NCUE, Taiwan. Expert in transparent conductive oxide (TCO) multilayer thin-film electrodes, photolithography mask alignment, photoresist spin coating, lift-off, and wet chemical etching. Proven track record in process parameter optimization, yield improvement, metrology-driven troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis (RCA) for defect reduction. Excellent alignment with process engineering, yield optimization, and device integration requirements for leading semiconductor fabricators like TSMC and Micron.

Technical Skills

Thin-Film Processing & Semiconductor Materials: Development and optimization of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin films including IZO, ZnO, and ZTO structures using spin coating, physical vapor deposition (PVD), thermal annealing, and process parameter optimization for enhanced electrical and optical performance.

Photolithography & Microfabrication: Photolithography workflow implementation including UV exposure, photoresist coating, mask alignment, lift-off processing, micro-pattern fabrication, and dimensional inspection to ensure pattern fidelity and process repeatability.

Process Control & Wet Processing: Wet chemical etching of thin-film materials with emphasis on etch-rate characterization, process uniformity, defect reduction, chemical safety, and process parameter optimization for reproducible fabrication outcomes.

Device Development & Experimental Engineering: Design, fabrication, and characterization of LC-based optical devices, including tunable LC lenses, polarization converters, and microhole electrode structures with voltage-gradient control and frequency-dependent performance evaluation.

Process Optimization & Data Analytics: Application of root-cause analysis, experimental design, process documentation, statistical evaluation, and Python-based data analysis to improve repeatability, optimize process parameters, and support data-driven engineering decisions.

Deep Learning & Computational Modeling: Applied deep learning for image-based analysis and control systems, including convolutional neural networks for binary semantic segmentation on synthetic geometric datasets and reinforcement learning-based control systems such as a trained agent for the Pong environment.

Professional & Research Experience

Process & Device Engineer (Research) - Liquid Crystal & Photonics Lab, NCUE Mar 2023 - Jan 2026

National Changhua University of Education Changhua, Taiwan

Thin-Film Deposition & Process Engineering: Fabricated transparent conductive oxide (TCO) electrode stacks (IZO/ZnO/ZTO) using physical vapor deposition (PVD) spin coating and thermal annealing; optimized process parameters to reduce sheet resistance from >100 MΩ range to kΩ range while keeping optical transmittance >95% for enhanced device yield.
Photolithography & Wet Etch Patterning: Developed and verified precise cleanroom microfabrication photolithography workflows (including UV exposure, photoresist spin coating, mask alignment, and lift-off patterning) and wet chemical acid etching to transfer microhole patterns.
Device Integration & Characterization: Integrated patterned electrodes into adaptive optoelectronic devices (tunable 2D focal-shift LC lenses and polarization converter arrays); diagnosed defects and performed failure analysis using polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and surface profilometry.
Research Collaboration: Supported process characterization and experimental testing for a stacked LC microlens laser speckle suppression system, leading to a co-authored publication in Optics Letters (2025) demonstrating 67.4% speckle noise reduction.
Cleanroom SOP Compliance: Authored standard operating procedures (SOPs) for wet chemistry processing stations and optical metrology setups, observing rigorous chemical handling and laboratory safety protocols.

Research role / project title Research & Engineering Projects

National Changhua University of Education

Multilayer TCO Thin-Film Electrode Optimization (IZO / ZnO / ZTO).
Compact 2D Focal-Shift Liquid Crystal Lens (Single Microhole Architecture).
Rubbing-Free LC Polarization Array for Vector Vortex Beam Generation (OAM Control).
Stacked Microstructured LC System for Laser Speckle Suppression & Beam Homogenization.

Education

Master of Science in Physics - National Changhua University of Education 2023 - 2026

Taiwan

GPA: 4.0 / 4.0. Focus: Photonics, semiconductor technology, thin-film processes, optics, liquid crystal devices, and optical systems.

Bachelor of Science in Physics - The University of Lahore 2018 - 2022

Pakistan

GPA: 3.40 / 4.0. Focus: Material science, solid state physics, quantum mechanics, and experimental physics foundations.

Publications, Awards & Honors

Liquid Crystal Polarization converter Array integrating Vector Vortex Beam Generation (2026) - In peer review [New]
Optics Letters peer-reviewed publication (2025) - Che Ju Hsu, Mareena Antony, Mudassar Iqbal, and Chi Yen Huang, "Speckle noise reduction in laser projection using a liquid crystal device with stacked microstructured electrodes," Optics Letters, vol. 50, pp. 3812-3815, 2025. [Published]
IDW '24 Outstanding Poster Paper Award (2024) - Outstanding Poster Paper Award (C000021), International Display Workshop 2024, Sapporo, Japan. [Award]
Taiwan Liquid Crystal Society poster presentation (2023) - Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of Taiwan Liquid Crystal Society (TLCS 2023), Taiwan. [Conference]