David K. Lam
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David Kitping Lam () is a Chinese-born American technology entrepreneur. He founded Lam Research Corporation in 1980. He presently serves as Chairman of Multibeam Corporation ( Santa Clara, CA), which manufactures complementary
electron beam lithography Electron-beam lithography (often abbreviated as e-beam lithography or EBL) is the practice of scanning a focused beam of electrons to draw custom shapes on a surface covered with an electron-sensitive film called a resist (exposing). The electron ...
(CEBL) systems. He also heads the David Lam Group, an investor and business advisor for high-growth technology companies.


Early life and education

Born in
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
, China, David Kitping Lam spent his early childhood in Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam, a large "Chinatown" near Saigon (renamed Ho Chi Minh City). His family, which fled from China to South Vietnam in the 1940s, eventually grew to include seven boys and one girl. As their new home in Vietnam became an increasingly dangerous place to live in the mid-1950s, Lam's parents moved David and most of his siblings to Hong Kong. Lam's interest in math and science grew during his teenage years in Hong Kong. After graduating from Pui Ching Middle School in Hong Kong, he boarded a ship that embarked on a three-week voyage to North America, where he would subsequently pursue studies in engineering and physics at the University of Toronto. Lam received his Bachelor of Applied Science in
Engineering Physics Engineering physics (EP), sometimes engineering science, is the field of study combining pure science disciplines (such as physics, mathematics, chemistry or biology) and engineering disciplines (computer, nuclear, electrical, aerospace, medic ...
from the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
in 1967. During his undergraduate years, he performed nuclear physics research under Professor Derek Paul and co-authored a paper on electron-positron annihilation (1967). Lam earned his M.S. degree and Sc.D. doctoral degree (
Chemical Engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...
) in 1970 and 1973, respectively, from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
. During his post-graduate years, he was a co-inventor of a plasma-produced solid lubricant that was patented under the title, "Fluorine Plasma Synthesis for Carbon Monofluoride." His doctoral research included a paper titled, "A Mechanisms and Kinetics Study of Polymeric Thin-film Deposition in Glow Discharge" that was published later in the Journal of Macromolecular Science – Chemistry (1976).


Career

After graduating from MIT, Lam worked on
plasma etching Plasma etching is a form of plasma processing used to fabricate integrated circuits. It involves a high-speed stream of glow discharge (Plasma (physics), plasma) of an appropriate gas mixture being shot (in pulses) at a sample. The plasma source, ...
research and engineering at Texas Instruments and Hewlett-Packard. Although plasma etching was widely used in R&D during the 1970s, it had yet to prove practical in a production environment. Lam discovered the cause of etch variability was part technical and part human. The analog-controlled process lacked the precision required by the complex chemistry of plasma etching. Moreover, well-intentioned operators without authority often changed process settings that affected etch results. Lam envisioned a new type of production-grade plasma etcher that enabled: * Digital control of process parameters to enhance accuracy and repeatability * Etching one wafer at a time in a small, load-locked environment to minimize ambient contamination and process variation * Total system automation to improve reproducibility and reduce human error With seed capital provided by his widowed mother, he founded Lam Research Corporation in 1980, and demonstrated a fully automated working etcher about a year later. Under his guidance, the early stage venture gained a foothold in Japan and endured a double-dip recession. In 1984, Lam became the first Asian American to see the company he founded go public on the NASDAQ exchange. After leaving Lam Research as a full-time employee in 1985, Lam served on the eponymous company's board for five consecutive years. During this period and ensuing years he worked at other companies. He engineered the turnaround of Link Technologies, a computer-terminal company that was sold to Wyse Technology in 1987. He also led software development and marketing at ExpertEdge, and later formed the David Lam Group in 1995 to provide management advice and investment capital to early stage ventures as well as established companies in transition. Lam has mentored entrepreneurs across a number of fields including micro- and nano-electronic device manufacturing, computer hardware and software, medical devices, and energy infrastructure businesses. Lam presently serves as Chairman of Multibeam Corporation, which pioneered the development of CEBL (complementary electron beam lithography) and DEW (direct electron writing) systems. As conventional optical lithography reaches its limits, the required photomasks become very expensive. CEBL systems can be incorporated into existing optical lines to reduce the number of expensive photomasks required for certain critical layers. Lam provides guidance to
emerging technology Emerging technologies are technologies whose development, practical applications, or both are still largely unrealized. These technologies are generally new but also include old technologies finding new applications. Emerging technologies are o ...
enterprises through the David Lam Group. He has served on Boards of Directors and advised management at various stages of growth at companies including Microprobe (acquired by FormFactor in 2012), Xradia (acquired by ZEISS in 2013), and SSEC (acquired by Veeco in 2014) in semiconductor and semiconductor equipment, micro- and nano-device manufacturing,
computer hardware Computer hardware includes the physical parts of a computer, such as the central processing unit (CPU), random-access memory (RAM), motherboard, computer data storage, graphics card, sound card, and computer case. It includes external devices ...
and
software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
,
medical device A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...
s, and
energy infrastructure Energy development is the field of activities focused on obtaining sources of energy from natural resources. These activities include the production of renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel derived sources of energy, and for the recovery and reu ...
.


Pro bono work

Lam has done volunteer work for several governmental, community, and educational organizations. * Appointed by President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
(41) to serve on the U.S. Commission on Minority Business Development (1989–91) * One of twenty business executives in the Presidential Business Development Mission to China led by the late Ron Brown, Secretary of Commerce under President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
(1994) * Appointed by California Chief Justice Malcolm M. Lucas to serve on the Commission on the Future of the Courts (1991–93) * Involved in the 1990 founding of the Committee of 100, a lobby group of Chinese Americans, and served for six years from its inception as a vice chair and for eight years as a director. * Led the Asia America Multitechnology Association from being a small Asian technology association into becoming a multinational network of technology entrepreneurs and professionals * Called upon b
Joint Venture Silicon Valley
a public-private collaboration to spur economic growth and job creation in California, to lead the technology export initiative (1990–93) * Active on the Board of Governors of the National Conference for Christians and Jews (NCCJ), renamed later the
National Conference for Community and Justice The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...
(1995-2004) * On the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
's Visiting Committee for the Department of Chemical Engineering. This outside group appointed by MIT offers appraisal, advice, and insight on academic and other major programs of the Department (1988–96). * As advisor to Dr. Robert Caret, president of
San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...
(1995-2000), provided guidance to strengthen SJSU's financial posture and encouraged working with the City of
San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
to form a joint library, the nation's first such collaboration. The
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library (also known locally as the MLK Library or the King Library) is an 8-story public library and university library, located in downtown San Jose, California, which had its grand opening on August 16, 2003. , ...
, which opened in 2003, has since won several national awards, including 2004 Library of the Year from Thomson Gale/Library Journal.


Honors

* 2013: Inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame * 2011: Under Lam's leadership, Multibeam Corporation was twice honored by ''
Red Herring A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences toward a false conclusion. A red herring may be used intentiona ...
'' as a Top 100 company in both North America and Global listings. * 1999: The ''
Contra Costa Times The ''East Bay Times'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, United States, owned by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of Media News Group, that serves Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the East ...
'' described Lam as one of the "Century’s Top Movers and Shapers" during the 1981 to 2000 period. As an "anchor tenant" of the emerging technology hub in Fremont, Lam Research was praised for the role it played in helping the East Bay city attract other high-tech manufacturers * 1997:
The Tech Museum of Innovation The Tech Interactive (formerly The Tech Museum of Innovation, commonly known as The Tech) is a science and technology center that offers hands-on activities, labs, design challenges and other STEAM education resources. It is located in downtown ...
in Silicon Valley honored Lam in "The Revolutionaries" series of articles, featuring him in the March 23rd edition of the
San Jose Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...


References


External links


Multibeam Corporation

David Lam Group

"Oral History: David K. Lam , SEMI.ORG".
semi.org. 2011 ast update Retrieved 9 August 2011
Lam Research 25th Anniversary Interview
(short)- 2005
Lam Research 25th Anniversary Interview
(extended)- 2005
"Mentor Capitalist" shares his technical and business savvy - MIT Technology Review, April 23, 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, David K. 1943 births Living people American computer businesspeople American technology company founders American technology chief executives Businesspeople from California Businesspeople from Guangdong Chinese emigrants to the United States Engineers from California Hewlett-Packard people MIT School of Engineering alumni Members of the Committee of 100 People from Ho Chi Minh City People from Santa Clara, California Texas Instruments people University of Toronto alumni 20th-century American businesspeople San Jose State University faculty