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Mead (Carver A.) Papers
10284-MS
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
California Institute of Technology Archives and Special Collections
Title: Carver A. Mead Papers
creator:
Mead, Carver A.
Identifier/Call Number: 10284-MS
Physical Description:
49 linear feet
(85 archives boxes, 2 half size boxes, 4 oversize flat boxes, 2
record cartons, 7 tubes, 1 postcard box, and digital files)
Date (inclusive): 1956-2017
Date (bulk): 1968-1994
Abstract: Carver A. Mead, Caltech Alumnus (B.S.
1956, M.S. 1957, PhD 1960) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Professor of Engineering and
Applied Science, Emeritus, taught at Caltech for over forty years. Mead retired from
teaching in 1999, but remains active in his research and in the Caltech community. Mead's
papers consist of correspondence, biographical material, teaching notes, notebooks, book
drafts, audiovisual material, artifacts, and research material, including his work with very
large scale integration (VLSI) of integrated circuits.
The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access. Some
files are confidential and will remain closed for an indefinite period. Researchers may
request information about closed files from the Caltech Archives.
Copyright may not have been assigned to the California Institute of Technology Archives.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in
writing to the Caltech Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the
California Institute of Technology Archives as the owner of the physical items and, unless
explicitly stated otherwise, is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
[Identification of item], Carver A. Mead Papers, 10284-MS, Caltech Archives, California
Institute of Technology.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Carver Mead donated his papers and artifacts to the Caltech Archives in 2016 and
transferred materials through 2016-2018.
Accruals to the collection are expected.
This collection was processed by Penelope Neder-Muro from 2016-2018. Most records in the
series are in chronological or original order, depending on the creator's original record
keeping. Duplicate copies were removed and recycled. Personal financial earnings documents
were also removed and recycled.
Supplement I was transferred and processed in January 2018. Supplement II was transferred
and processed in April 2018. Supplement III was transferred and processed in July 2018.
Supplement IV was transferred and processed in August 2018. Supplement V was transferred and
processed in October 2018.
Carver Andress Mead was born in Bakersfield, California on May 1, 1934. He grew up in Big
Creek, California in the community located behind the Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant Number
8. His early interest in electronics led Mead to Caltech as a freshman in 1952, and he
graduated with his B.S. in 1956, his M.S. in 1957, and his Ph.D. in 1960, all in the field
of Electrical Engineering. Mead began his teaching career as an Instructor at Caltech in
1958. After moving up the ranks as Professor, he was honored as the Gordon and Betty Moore
Professor of Computer Science in 1980. During his teaching tenure, Mead taught courses in
Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Computation and Neural Systems.
In addition to his forty-year teaching career, Professor Mead's transistor research in
solid state electronics led him to pioneering design methodologies for very large scale
integration, or VLSI of integrated circuits in microchip technology. He is credited with
famously coining the term Moore's Law (named after Intel co-founder, Gordon Moore), which
predicted that every year the number of transistors would double in an integrated circuit.
Mead has contributed to over 80 patents and to over 200 published works, including the
widely used textbook, Introduction to VLSI Systems in 1980. He has been honored with many
awards and honors, including the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush
in 2003. As of 1999, Carver Mead holds the title of Gordon and Betty Moore Professor of
Engineering and Applied Science, Emeritus, and remains active in his research and in the
Caltech community.
For more information on Carver A. Mead, the 1996 Carver A. Mead oral history interview with
Shirley K. Cohen transcript can be accessed at
Caltech Archives Oral
Histories
In 2017, Carver Mead documented his donation of materials to the Caltech Archives with the
AMT film crew on hand. He was inspired to create a series of videos where he described the
history of his science and technology including, "My First Chip." The videos can be accessed
through the Carver Mead
YouTube
Channel
To learn more about Carver Mead's Caltech professional overview, see
www.carvermead.caltech.edu
The Carver A. Mead papers collection represents many aspects of Carver Mead's professional
life. Some highlights of the collection include audio recordings and transcripts for Mead's
class lectures from the courses Physics of Computation and Analog Integrated Circuit Design.
Also included in the collection are Mead's lab notebooks from the 1960s and an assortment of
microchips and masks designed by Mead and his students from the 1970s. The collection also
contains several magazine and newspaper articles written about Mead's work and drafts of his
published works.
Series 1: Correspondence is divided into three subseries. Subseries 1: Alphabetical –
Names, Personal consists of correspondence with various individuals and is arranged in
alphabetical order by last name. Subseries 2: Alphabetical – Subject/Topical consists of
correspondence arranged by subject or topic and includes general groupings such as invited
talks, or by a specific title, such as National Geographic. Subseries 3: Chronological
consists of several correspondence that is grouped in chronological order.
Series 2: Personal and Biographical is divided into four subseries. Subseries 1:
Biographical consists of several articles from published works that feature Carver Mead, and
are grouped in chronological and alphabetical order by title. Subseries 2: Personal Business
Documents various reports, memos, and correspondence related to Mead's personal business
holdings, arranged in alphabetical order (Closed until 2037). Subseries 3: Personal
Administrative consists of personal calendars, consulting services, and other personal
administrative documents. Subseries 4: Miscellaneous consists of an assortment of ephemeral
personal materials such as the Mead coat of arms.
Series 3: Photographs and Audiovisual is divided into three subseries according to media
type. Subseries 1: Photographs consists of mostly personal and research photographs, also
includes some negatives and slides. Subseries 2: Audio consists of recordings on
audiocassette of Mead's class lectures or talks. Subseries 3: Video consists of Mead's
collection of VHS and U-matic videocassettes, which includes recordings of television
appearances and lab footage. Many of the audiovisual materials have been digitized. File
names for the digitized media can be found in the container list.
Series 4: California Institute of Technology is divided into four subseries. Subseries 1:
Caltech Administrative consists of administrative material related to Caltech business,
including official Caltech correspondence, Computer Science department materials, and
colleague files. Subseries 2: Caltech Ephemera contains Caltech related material such as
newsletters and a historical brochure for the Athenaeum. Subseries 3: Committees and
Planning consists of memos, correspondence, and other materials related to Mead's work on
various boards and committees, in chronological order. Subseries 4: The Gordon and Betty
Moore Laboratory Building Planning consists of materials related to the construction of the
building and includes memos, reports, and construction schedules, in chronological
order.
Series 5: Teaching is divided into two subseries. Subseries 1: Teaching Notes and Student
Work consists of teaching notes, notebooks, and theses and notes of student work, in
chronological order. Subseries 2: Analog Integrated Circuit Design Lectures consists of
notes, figures, and syllabi for the Computer Science 182 course, arranged by lecture
number.
Series 6: Research is divided into nine subseries. Subseries 1: Lab Records and
Reference/Technical files consists of lab data notebooks, manufacturing and vendor files,
and reference material, with notebooks arranged in chronological order and lab data is in
original order. Subseries 2: Writings consists of drafts, notes, and final versions of
publications, in chronological order. Subseries 3: Technical Notes and Reports consists of
technical notes for projects and includes paperwork for the Silicon Structures Project, in
chronological order. Subseries 4: Proposals consists of correspondence and other papers
related to grant or research proposals, in chronological order. Subseries 5: Figures
consists of figures and sketches from unidentified talks or class lectures. Most figures are
undated. Subseries 6: Patents consists of all materials related to Mead's patents, including
one original patent document, patent drafts, patent filing correspondence, and abandoned
patents. Most of the documentation was accessioned as Supplement III. Subseries 7:
Publications (Supplement I) consists of a partial collection of Mead's publications, and
folders include correspondence, notes, corrections, and figures, in chronological order.
Subseries 8: Publications (Supplement II) is a chronological continuation of subseries 7.
Subseries 9: Collective Electrodynamics is the bulk of Supplement IV, and consists of drafts
and correspondence related to the book of the same title written by Mead in 2000.
Series 7: VLSI is divided into four subseries. Subseries 1: General VLSI consists of
material related to VLSI research and work, including chip manufacturing files, articles,
and reports. Subseries 2: Introduction to VLSI Systems consists of material associated with
the book published with Lynn Conway, which includes book drafts, notes, and administrative
files. Subseries 3: Analog VLSI and Neural Systems consists of material associated with the
1989 book, which consists of drafts, figures, and administrative paperwork. Subseries 4:
Artifacts consists of chips, wafers, Gerber chip masks and punch cards, which were
originally used with the Gerber plotter.
Series 8: Talks, Conferences, and Honors is divided into two subseries. Subseries 1:
Chronological consists of correspondence, talk transcripts, notes, and transparencies listed
in chronological order. Subseries 2: Talks and Miscellaneous were added to the collection
after the initial processing, and have been kept in original order (accessioned with
Supplement I).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
California Institute of Technology -- Alumni and alumnae
Computer Science
Electrical engineering
Integrated circuits--Very large scale integration
Manuscript Collection
California Institute of Technology