Tu Chen
Tu Chen 陳都 | |
|---|---|
 Tu Chen, Taiwanese-American scientist and entrepreneur | |
| Born | March 19, 1935 |
| Alma mater | Cheng Kung University, University of Minnesota |
| Occupation(s) | Materials scientist, Inventor, Entrepreneur |
| Employer(s) | Northrop, Xerox, Komag, Headway |
| Spouse | Nancy Pi-Fang[1] |
| Awards |
|
Tu Chen 陳都 (born 19 March 1935) is a Taiwanese-American scientist and entrepreneur who played a central role in the development of thin-film media for computer hard disk drives.[2][3] In 1993, he co-founded Komag which was subsequently purchased by Western Digital in 2007.[4][5] Since his retirement in 1999, Chen has devoted himself to technological advancement in Taiwan.[6][1]
Background and education[edit]
Chen grew up in Yilan County, Taiwan before attending the National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, from which he earned a B.S degree in Metallurgical Engineering.[1] He served in the ROTC (Taiwan) and then as a high school math and physics teacher before moving to the United States in 1961.[6] He received his M.S. in 1964 and his Ph.D in 1967, both from the University of Minnesota and both in Metallurgical Engineering.[1]
Career[edit]
In 1967, Chen joined IBM in Edicott, New York, but, a year later, relocated to California to accept a Senior Scientist position at Northrop Corp.[6] In 1971, he was recruited by Xerox for their Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).[6] His various projects included thin film physics for data storage applications.[7]
In 1983, he left PARC to co-found Komag, a company dedicated to the development and manufacturing of thin-film media for hard disk drives.[8] The change from "brown disks" (iron-oxide particulate media) to thin-film metallic media represented a major advance in HDD technology.[9] The company was purchased in 2007 by Western Digital[4]
In 1996, Chen co-founded Headway Technologies, a company dedicated to the development and manufacturing of thin-film read/write heads for hard disk drives and served as Vice Chairman.[10]
Since his retirement, Chen has devoted himself to technological advancement in Taiwan. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan.[6]
Awards and honors[edit]
In 1988, Chen received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Venture Magazine and Arthur Young.[11]
In 2001, he received the IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award for “leadership in the advancement of thin-film materials, tools, and processes used for magnetic information disks, and their commercialization as products”.[12]
Chen was elevated to Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for "contributions to the development of thin-film materials, tools, and processes used for magnetic and optical information storage disks".
In 2005, Chen was interviewed by Chris Bajorek to create an oral history for the Computer History Museum, Mountain View.[7]
In 2015, Chen received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota, College of Science and Engineering.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "17. Dr. Tu Chen". History of Taiwanese American (T.A. Archives). 2014-10-04.
- ^ a b "Tu Chen | University Awards & Honors". uawards.umn.edu. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ "Tu Chen: A series of fortunate events". College of Science and Engineering. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ a b "Western Digital To Acquire Komag For $1 Billion In Cash". www.cnbc.com. 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ Chen, Tu (1998-08-01). "Co-Founder of $600-Million Company Finds Materials Research Eases His Mental Burden". MRS Bulletin. 23 (8): 54–55. doi:10.1557/S0883769400030840. ISSN 1938-1425.
- ^ a b c d e Taiwanese-American History: Tu Chen biography
- ^ a b Computer History Museum oral history: Tu Chen interviewed by: Chris Bajorek, 28 October, 2005
- ^ T. Chen, T. Yamashita, "The Evolution of Thin Film Magnetic Media and Its Contribution to the Recent Growth in Information Technology", Computer History Museum, 2014 ISBN 978-0-615-89604-5
- ^ Computer History Museum: Storage Timeline, "1982: Film Media Increases Disk Storage Density"
- ^ Bloomberg profile: Tu Chen, Vice Chairman Headway Technologies, Inc.
- ^ M. Erasmus, "Immigrant Entrepreneurs In The High-Tech Industry", UCLA Policy Reports, Asian American Studies Center, Reframing the Immigration Debate, p. 186
- ^ IEEE List of Recipients: Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award 2001