Does the proposed mechanism make physical sense?
Evaluate whether a described operating mechanism is consistent with carrier transport, electrostatics, material properties, and the disclosed device structure.
For law firms and in-house counsel
Semiconductor Expert Witness
& Litigation Consulting
Independent technical analysis of semiconductor devices, photodetectors, carrier transport, and device simulation.
Technical support for counsel
A focused assessment of the technology and evidence.
Dr. Yoder brings more than 30 years of experience in academic research, industrial R&D, and scientific consulting to semiconductor technical questions.
His work connects semiconductor physics with the operation and performance of electronic and photonic devices. This background supports review of device documentation, scientific literature, physical mechanisms, and numerical simulations.
Potential engagements include patent disputes and other matters involving semiconductor technology. The initial discussion establishes the technical fit, scope, and availability.
Examples of potential assignments
Questions that turn on the device physics.
Does the simulation support the conclusion?
Examine model assumptions, material parameters, boundary conditions, numerical methods, and calibration against available measurements.
What do the measurements establish?
Assess the relationship between reported data and conclusions about gain, noise, bandwidth, saturation, transport, or breakdown.
How does the disclosed structure operate?
Explain how device geometry, doping, heterostructures, and material choices relate to the physical behavior described in technical documents or published literature.
Engagement options
Consulting support and expert testimony.
Consulting expert support
Technical input to help counsel assess a matter and understand the evidence.
- Initial technical assessment and issue identification
- Device documentation and scientific literature review
- Simulation and performance-claim analysis
- Technical briefings and explanations for counsel
Expert reports and testimony
Independent opinions and clear explanations within the relevant technical expertise and agreed engagement.
- Technical analysis supporting expert opinions
- Written expert reports
- Deposition and trial testimony
- Explanation of physical assumptions and limitations
Relevant subject matter
Specialist expertise in semiconductor devices and modeling.
Device simulation and carrier transport
Technology computer-aided design (TCAD), full-band Monte Carlo methods, quantum transport, first-principles modeling, and coupled electrothermal analysis.
Photodetectors and avalanche devices
Avalanche photodiodes (APDs), single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), impact ionization, gain and noise, ultraviolet detection, bandwidth, and photodiode nonlinearity.
III-nitrides and wide-bandgap materials
GaN, AlGaN, InGaN, and AlN; heterostructures, polarization, high-field transport, self-heating, doping, and impurity-band physics.
Photonics and emerging devices
Visible and ultraviolet lasers, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, resonant tunneling structures, and millimeter-wave sources.
Qualifications you can review
Research, industrial experience, and invention.
Academic qualifications
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993. Associate Professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Commercial simulation software
Author of Degas, a full-band ensemble Monte Carlo semiconductor device simulator integrated into a commercial TCAD platform.
Patents and publications
Named inventor on U.S. patents relating to avalanche photodetectors, heterojunction bipolar transistors, and millimeter-wave oscillations, with published research across semiconductor devices and transport.
Approach to technical evidence
Independent analysis grounded in physical principles.
A clear technical opinion identifies its assumptions, explains its reasoning, and accounts for the available evidence.
Engagements can examine the connection between a proposed mechanism, a mathematical model, and measured device behavior. The analysis addresses which conclusions are supported and where additional information is needed.
Dr. Yoder’s research and teaching background supports explanations tailored to counsel and audiences with different levels of technical familiarity.
Initial inquiry
Discuss technical fit and availability.
Please provide the parties’ names, general technology, your role, jurisdiction, and key dates for an initial conflict and availability check. Hold confidential documents until conflicts and engagement terms have been addressed.