Week 1:
California Calling

June 8, 2021

Last week, after 17 hours of driving and numerous stretch breaks, I finally arrived in California. This summer, I am an intern at Microtek, a small, San Diego based, biotech company that specializes in the design and production of micro-scale medical devices.

Since many of Microtek’s projects have a medical nature, the company is especially COVID conscious. As such, I was asked to arrive early and take a COVID test before starting on June first. Good news, the test was negative!

Arriving early gave me the opportunity to explore San Diego and acclimate to the area. So far, I’ve been on two hikes; one around Lake Poway and another near Lake Hodges. I planned both hikes for later in the day to try and avoid the heat but I was not entirely successful. I also explored Liberty Public Market, Old Town, and took a walk down by the harbor.

After my week of acclimating, I was relaxed and ready to get started at Microtek. On my first day, I arrived just before 8 AM for a tour of the facility and a quick orientation. I met my supervisors, Dr. MyPhuong Le and Dr. Leah Villegas, as well as the product development team, and company president. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming.

Early in the week, I met with MyPhuong several times to work out a project for me to focus on this summer.  I spent most of my first few days reading and conducting literature research on my topic.

Later in the week, I received training on clean room protocols including the proper gowning technique and precautions for preventing electrostatic discharge. After I understood the protocols and procedures for working in the clean room, I began to observe the fabrication process. I spent a lot of time learning about wire bonding and talking to Harold, the operator in charge of wire bonding.

Near the end of the week, Nhung, the production manager, gave me a crash course in attaching capacitors and set me up to practice. Each capacitor is incredibly small and must be placed by hand. A microscope is required to see both the capacitor and the substrate to which it is attached. Needless to say, I need lots of practice!

Microtek has a great atmosphere. The people have been friendly, patient, and more than willing to help me as I build my skills and make mistakes. As a testament to the company culture, we ended the week with a celebration for two of the employees with June birthdays. It was a great way to wrap up my first week!