#Lam Research

A large wall flowchart showing five labelled process steps in sequence, each paired with a small physical sample, a final sample caught being placed to complete the chain

Who Actually Makes the Machines That Make the Chips

This cohort has profiled ASML, Applied Materials, Lam Research, KLA, and Tokyo Electron individually. Here they are side by side — the complete map of who builds the equipment behind every chip in this cohort.

By Brecht Corbeel · August 10, 2026 · 4 min read

A cross-section sample under bright inspection light showing a deep, narrow etched trench for a through-silicon via, its floor caught not yet fully reaching its target depth

AI Hardware & Semiconductors

Lam Research's Whole Job Is Taking Atoms Away, Precisely

Applied Materials builds layers up. Lam Research carves them back down — the etch step that turns a deposited film into an actual working circuit pattern, and its own genuinely hard engineering problem.

By Brecht Corbeel · August 10, 2026 · 4 min read

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