By Kyle Li

Pictures courtesy of Chenming Hu

In the 1990s, the global semiconductor industry faced a daunting challenge. Companies such as IBM and Intel were shrinking transistors at an astonishing pace, but the conventional planar transistor was fast approaching its physical limits. Thousands of engineers across dozens of companies spent years searching for a solution though progress was elusive.

The breakthrough ultimately came from Dr. Cheming Hu of the University of California, Berkeley. Leading a team of researchers, Hu introduced a radically different approach: Instead of laying a transistor’s channel flat on the silicon surface, he stood it upright like a tiny fin. The invention, known as the Fin Field-Effect Transistor, or FinFET, gave engineers greater control over transistor behavior and reopened the path to continued miniaturization. 

Today, FinFET technology powers the chips inside billions of electronic devices. A smartphone containing tens of billions of transistors delivers computing power that far surpasses room-size computers from just half a century ago.

Hailed as the “Father of FinFET,” Hu is also a distinguished professor at Berkeley, the first chief technology officer of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, and a recipient of the prestigious IEEE Medal of Honor. Looking back, he is grateful for the lessons learned at his parents’ knees—values that have shaped his career. 

A Humble Beginning 

Born in Beijing in 1947, Hu moved to Taiwan with his parents at a young age and grew up in Taipei. During the Chinese Civil War, his father was sent to San Antonio, Texas, for Air Force training, while his mother, a teachers-college graduate, taught at an Air Force elementary school. “My parents are quite Westernized,” Hu said. “Their approach to education emphasized encouragement. They didn’t worry too much about grades.”

Hu in his dormitory as an engineering student at the University of California, Berkeley.

He remembers watching Shane, his first Western film, and imitating the cowboy’s lines with neighborhood friends, shouting, “Come on, come on.” When his father heard him, he responded proudly, “Your pronunciation is very good. You should speak more English in the future.” From then on, Hu devoted extra effort to studying English.

Years later, as a professor, Hu believes: “As parents and teachers, our strength comes from the respect our children hold for us. If we tell them they are strong, they will be strong; if we tell them they are weak, they will be weak. Encouragement is always more powerful than discipline.”

Hu also grew up with a strong sense of optimism. When Hu was a child, his father would buy a state-run lottery ticket every week, saying, “How would you know if you didn’t try?” “He always believed he would win,” Hu recalled with a laugh. Decades later, when the semiconductor industry faced seemingly insurmountable challenges, Hu drew on that same spirit of experimentation and optimism. 

Living With Purpose 

After graduating from National Taiwan University, Hu went on to study electrical engineering at UC Berkeley, where his focus shifted toward microelectronics and semiconductor devices. 

One of his professors was Andy Grove, who later became Intel’s CEO and one of Silicon Valley’s most influential leaders. Recognizing Hu’s talent, Grove gave him a tour of Intel, introduced him to the company’s founders, and invited him to join. 

Hu declined what many would consider a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, explaining that he had promised his parents to first complete his doctorate.