R. Fabian W. Pease : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- R. Fabian Pease, the William E. Ayer Professor in Electrical Engineering, Emeritus, reflects on his career at Stanford and his research on high resolution scanning electron microscopy and nano-fabrication techniques and their application. Pease shares memories of growing up in England and Canada during and after World War II, his early interest in electronics, and his education at Cambridge. He describes his research as an assistant professor at UC Berkeley and his transition to the technical staff at Bell Labs where he initially worked on digital television and began exploring techniques to shrink integrated circuits--a theme that continued throughout his career. Turning to his time at Stanford, Pease recalls his recruitment to the Department of Electrical Engineering, the development of the Center for Integrated Systems, and the joys and challenges of teaching engineering. He speaks about some of the projects on which he has collaborated, including the invention of the micro- channel heatsink for semiconductor manufacturing and the MagSweeper for isolating circulating tumor cells (CTCs), as well as his recent efforts to develop an inexpensive scanning electron microscope using sealed vacuum tube technology.
- Summary
- Family ancestry, including connection to the Wedgewood family of potters and Edward Pease, co-founder of the Fabian Society • Being sent away from England to Canada to escape World War II • Listening to the New York Metropolitan Opera on the radio sparks an interest in electronics • Boarding school at Bedales and experimenting with electronics, especially radio • Time in the Royal Air Force as a radar officer • Caving as a hobby • Studies at Cambridge and PhD thesis on high resolution scanning electron microscopy • Assistant professorship at UC Berkeley and work with Tom Everhart, including using electron microscopes to study living organisms • Berkeley during the Free Speech Movement • Move to Bell Labs technical staff to work on digital television; introduction to digital technology • Career looking at how to shrink integrated circuits • Work environment at Bell Labs compared to universities • Recruitment to Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering by Jim Gibbons and Jim Meindl in the late 1970s • Stanford’s reputation in the 1970s • Development of the Center for Integrated Systems • Challenges finding space and money • Unorthodox projects including developing a micro-channel heatsink with David Tuckerman • Difficulty getting science funding for electronics work • Teaching lithography • Challenges of teaching introductory engineering courses • Approach to teaching and evaluation of teaching • Results of efforts to integrate more field and lab experience into the new science core • Developing course “Engineering in the Micro World: From Chips to Genes” with Calvin Quate • Examples of student nanofabrication projects • Stanford Instructional Television Network • Pros and cons of televised teaching • Working with Jim Gibbons on applying electron beam technology to semiconductor manufacturing • Using electron beam techniques to make circuits smaller • Richard Feynman and the creation of the Feynman Prize for nanotechnology • Working with Tom Newman on a solution for winning the Feynman Prize • Developments in the field of optical lithography over career • Growth of lithography as a field • Receiving funding to pursue packaging research from the Semiconductor Research Corporation • Industry funding vs. government funding • Work at DARPA in the mid-1990s • Co-inventing the MagSweeper, an immunomagnetic separation device that isolates circulating tumor cells, with School of Medicine faculty member Stephanie S. Jeffrey • Sabbatical at Affimetrix working on synthesizing peptides • Learning biochemistry and gene sequencing during sabbatical • Working across disciplines and departments • Graduate student Harvey Liu’s work on optical properties of very fine silicon structures • Working with the Office of Technology Licensing at Stanford • Thoughts on consulting with Silicon Valley startups • Competition between ETEC and Varian on electron beam lithography tools • Role as vice chair for graduate admissions in EE and opinion on changes to the PhD qualifying exams • Chairing the Building and Safety Committee during Loma Prieta earthquake • Range of Stanford’s EE department and qualities of a good department chair • Thoughts on growth of administrative staff and overhead at Stanford; space utilization • Advice to younger faculty members • Story of the Cambridge Instrument Company and reflections on Stanford’s advantageous location in Silicon Valley • Family and children • Retirement as part of the Faculty Retirement Incentive Program (FRIP) • Manu Prakash and the foldscope; collaborating with Prakash on an inexpensive scanning electron microscope • Sailing and windsurfing • Retirement community and emergency preparedness • Decision to not take on administrative roles • Issue of staff promotions and Parkinson’s Law on the growth of bureaucracy; support from administrator Sandra Eisensee • Concerns about research administration at Stanford • Reflections on his legacy
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | April 16, 2019 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Pease, R. (R. Fabian W.) | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Pease, R. (R. Fabian W.) | |
| Interviewer | DiPaolo, Andy | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Pease, R. (R. Fabian W.) |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Electrical Engineering |
| Subject | Integrated circuits |
| Subject | Technology > Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.) |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | R. Fabian W. Pease served as a radar officer in the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1957, and received his BA, MA, and PhD degrees from Cambridge University in 1960, 1962, and 1964, respectively. His PhD thesis was on High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy. After graduating, he was an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley for three years, where he continued his microscopy research. In 1967, Dr. Pease joined the technical staff of Bell Laboratories, where he first worked on digital television and later led a group that developed the processes for electron beam lithographic mask manufacture, and demonstrated a pioneering LSI circuit built with electron beam lithography. Since 1978 he has been a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. His group's areas of research include micro- and nano-fabrication and their application to electronic and magnetic devices and structures. Dr. Pease is a Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. |
|---|---|
| Audio |
|
| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/ty444qq0084 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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