1. Filippo Radicati
Consultant, Materials and Contamination Control
777 San Antonio Road, #20
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 714-9973
filippo.radicati@gmail.com
Recently retired from Western Digital.
 15-plus year experience in Failure Analysis applied to the disk drive industry.
 Experienced in organic contamination and particle contamination.
 Problem solving for nano-contamination using surface analytical techniques
(TOFSIMS, SEM/EDX, Auger etc.), emphasis on new generation heads for
magnetic recording.
 Able to manage a contamination issue from identification of contaminants to
source.
 Extensive contacts with third party labs for analysis and consulting.
 Recognized expert in Surface Analysis methods and interpretation of results.
Work Experience:
2003 – 2013. Western Digital Corporation. Senior Staff/Principal Engineer in San
Jose, CA. Worked in the Failure Analysis group with Min Yang. Succeeded in
identifying sources of widely different contaminants in Western Digital products
and components using a variety of analytical techniques, both in-house and through
external laboratories. Successfully directed the surface analysis group at Western
Digital and justified funding of advanced instrumentation by demonstrating its
relevance to product development.
1998 -2002. Quantum/Maxtor Corporation, Milpitas, CA. Senior Scientist in the
Materials lab. Responsible for the Surface Analysis group. Applied surface analysis
techniques to problems of contamination control and tribology.
1984 – 1998. Senior Analyst at Charles Evans and Associates, in Redwood City, CA.
Worked in contract analysis of a wide variety of materials, from semiconductors, to
organic polymers, to ultrahigh purity metals employing various advanced
techniques (laser ionization mass spectrometry, secondary ion mass spectrometry)
and advising clients on analytical options for their specific problems.
Education:
Doctoral degree in Geochemistry, University of Pisa and Scuola Normale Superiore,
Pisa (Italy). Postdoctoral experience at University of Miami (Miami, FL), California
Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA) and University of California, Berkeley.