Contents
Foreword xi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgements xxii
Chapter 1 1
How I Got Started
Chapter 2 12
My Career after obtaining my Ph.D. (1967-1971)
Chapter 3 20
Joining Xerox PARC
Chapter 4 38
Low Cost Disk Memory (LCDM) Project at PARC
Chapter 5 90
Leaving PARC and Founding Komag Inc.
Chapter 6 120
Getting Komag Started
Chapter 7 168
Manufacturing Ramp
Chapter 8 188
Komag Offshore Operations, Business Partners and Substrate Technology, Lubricant and Overcoat Improvements
Chapter 9 219
Foray into the Head Business: Dastek and Headway
Chapter 10 235
Competition with Oriented Media
Chapter 11 258
Seeds of Industry Chaos Starting in 1997 and Exit from Komag
Chapter 12 278
Perpendicular Media
Chapter 13 291
Final Thoughts
Note from Tom Yamashita 296
Timeline Photos 300
Timeline of Events for Komag Inc 351
Komag Annual Revenue and Net Incomes 358
List of References 359
List of Figures (sources) 371
Index 376
Author Resume
Tu Chen founded Komag, Inc. in 1983 with his friends Jim Shir and Scott Chen, and grew the company into a leading supplier of thin film media that are used in hard disk drives. For a period, Komag was the largest supplier of hard disk media in the industry, supplying companies such as Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital, and IBM.
Tu Chen recounts his life leading up to the founding of Komag from his humble beginnings in Taiwan to his ground breaking research at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, which led to his decision to start Komag Inc.
The story of how Komag was founded, some of its early challenges with developing the technology and the business, are told in detail. The success and later struggle for survival are described in an honest and straightforward manner. The story is well worth reading as it follows the typical life cycle of many Silicon Valley start-up companies.
Donated by Tu Chen
Posted on 07/2019
