Artifact Details

Title

Lam, David K. SEMI oral history

Catalog Number

102746352

Type

Document

Description

David Lam founded Lam Research in 1980. Under his guidance as CEO, the company introduced the industry's first fully automated plasma etching system for semiconductor manufacturing. Lam Research went public in 1984 and has since become a global leader in semiconductor capital equipment. Since his departure from Lam Research, Lam has served as chairman of the David Lam Group, which invests and advises emerging technology companies in semiconductors, semiconductor equipment, computer hardware and software, biotech, networking, and communications.

Lam also serves on the board of private companies, including Multibeam, Microfabrica, and Qcept. In addition to his corporate experience, Lam was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Commission on Minority Business Development and by California Chief Justice Malcolm Lucas to serve on the Commission on the Future of the Courts. He was an advisor to President Bob Caret of the California State University at San Jose and served on the Visiting Committee of MIT. He is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Conference for Community and Justice of Silicon Valley (NCCJ).

Lam graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor's degree in engineering physics, and holds Master's and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from MIT. Before founding Lam Research, he worked for Texas Instruments, Xerox, and Hewlett-Packard. Lam was born in China, and grew up in Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Date

2004-01-21

Contributor

Addison, Craig, Interviewer
Lam, David K., Interviewee

Publisher

Computer History Museum

Extent

13 p.

Copyright Holder

Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI)

Category

Transcription

Collection Title

Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) oral histories and company videos

Credit

Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International

Lot Number

X6196.2011