- John has 25 years in the industry and 49 patents to his name
- Multidisciplinary skills in dep and etch have led to groundbreaking work
John Drewery has been named a Lam Research Fellow for substantial technical contributions that have significantly impacted Lam’s products, business, customers, and the semiconductor industry.
John joined Novellus in 2001 and then became part of Lam in 2010. As a seasoned industry veteran with expertise in both deposition and etch, his contributions are recognized within Lam and across the global semiconductor industry. “I’m able to bring together experience from different fields of physical science and come up with a conclusion based on both of them,” John reflects. “So, if there’s a pattern that goes through my career, that’s what it is.”
Whether starting from older technology such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) or newer, cutting-edge technology, his work and influence have been key to product development. At his core, he’s a technologist who approaches and solves problems in practical, simple ways, helping Lam achieve its business goals and objectives.
“Given the magnitude of John’s contributions to conductor etch products,” says Yoshie Kimura, vice president of Global Products in our Etch Product Group, “I am certain that nearly every advanced chip made in the world today has been impacted by an innovation that John has made for us.”
Novel Approaches
Lighting the way with his knowledge in multiple disciplines, John’s work is deeply rooted in solid, scientific, and technical principles. His novel approaches and solutions have differentiated Lam in the marketplace.
John’s leadership, effort, and dedication bring superior solutions that solve our customers’ most difficult challenges.
For example, nearly 20 years ago John contributed to the discovery of a new way of making electroplatable barriers. “The goal was to figure out what we could electroplate copper onto, that would also not let the copper migrate through it,” John recalls. “I figured this out by comparing two different tables: one was a table of which metals are easiest to electroplate; the other one was a table of metals that don’t mix with copper. There were only two or three candidates.”
Role Model
Beyond his stellar technical work, John epitomizes best-in-class leadership, role modeling, collaboration, and mentorship.
John’s humility and deference to his teammates “is just another demonstration of how John demonstrates core value behavior every day,” says Chief Technology Officer Rick Gottscho.
John has a passion for coaching and mentoring colleagues, inspiring future technical leaders at Lam. As for advice, John says, “Don’t be afraid to push back. The people in my group who are the best at their jobs are the ones that push back most. If you don’t think that something makes sense, you should be prepared to oppose it—respectfully.”