Interview with Carl Zweben

Featured Engineer

Carl Zweben

Carl Zweben - Thermal Materials and Composites Consultant at Zweben Consulting

How did you get into electronics/ engineering and when did you start?

I am a de-frocked civil engineer who got a Ph. D. in applied mechanics. I blundered into the field of advanced composites when I finished graduate school. Back in the 1980s, I was appointed manager of the 17-department GE Aerospace Group Advanced Materials Panel. When I did a survey, I found that the most critical need was for advanced thermal management materials for electronics and photonics. I have been involved with these materials ever since.

What do you consider your major professional accomplishments?

My group at GE was instrumental in development and application of a new generation of advanced thermal management materials, including silicon carbide particle-reinforced aluminum, commonly known as Al/SiC, which is now widely used in many electronic and photonic applications. Materials are now available having thermal conductivities over four times that of copper, combined with low coefficients of thermal expansion and low densities.

I have taught thousands of engineers in well over 250 short courses, and have published many technical papers. I also was co-editor-in-chief a six-volume work on composite materials. I am the first to win both the GE Space Systems Division Engineer-of-the-Year and One-In-A-Thousand awards. I am a Life Fellow of ASME, a Fellow of ASM and SAMPE, and an Associate Fellow of AIAA.

I also have enjoyed mentoring young engineers

What has been your favorite project?

One of my most challenging projects was fixing a ceramic package manufacturing problem that saved my company $60 million. We modeled each step of the many steps in the process and tailored the coefficient of thermal expansion of a composite base plate to minimize thermal stresses. This eliminated warping and resulting fracture and increased yield from less than 5% to over 95%.

How did you you get into consulting?

I decided to try consulting, rather than relocate, when GE sold my division. My wife and I have strong ties to our community. I enjoy the many diverse assignments and the opportunity to teach short courses. My original career plan was to become an academic, but my Ph. D. adviser suggested that I get industry experience first – decades later, I am still getting industry experience. I also like meeting new people and the travel involved – I have been all around the US and to Europe and Asia. The greatest challenge is the lack of steady income, which is an inherent part of consulting. Fortunately, I have been lucky enough to keep my head above water for many years.

What are you currently working on?

I am an expert witness in a patent infringement case involving thermal management. I find it intellectually stimulating. I also am consulting on development of new thermal management materials and preparing a new online course on the subject for IEEE.

What direction do you see your business heading in the next few years?

Thermal management, reliability, size and weight will undoubtedly continue to be critical problems in packaging of microelectronics and photonics. High-brightness LEDs, laser diodes, power devices and microprocessors are key examples. This will drive continuing development and application of new thermal materials. In addition, there will be increasing need to train engineers in selection and use of these materials.

What challenges do you foresee in our industry?

A key issue is that industry is failing to adequately train young engineers. When I began my career, they would be “apprenticed” to senior engineers who transferred their knowledge and corrected their mistakes. The approach these days is frequently to throw them off the deep end of the pool. The result is that after working five years, they get one year’s experience five times, instead of five years’ experience. Further, when they inevitably make mistakes, they get a poor reputation and lack confidence.