Lattice Semiconductor Corporation

Lattice Semiconductor Corp. was founded by Rahul Sud ( https://ethw.org/w/index.php?title=%20Special%3ASearch&search=Rahul%20sud ) and Raymond P Capece and is a United States based manufacturer of ultrahigh-performance non volatile programmable logic devices ( Nasdaq : LSSC )

Rahul Sud pioneered and architected together with Richard Basecki invented ULTRAMOS (TM) semiconductor manufacturing technology which became the world's first high volume production technology of ultrahighspeed non volatile memory CMOS EEPROM .

Lattice founder Rahul Sud cancelled the semiconductor wafer fab he had built after it had already been constructed and decided to install his ULTRAMOS(TM) fabrication process technology which he had invented and architected with Richard Basecki in two United States wafer fabs and two Japanese wafer fabs after negotiating cash + royalties licence and at cost production agreements with each of them.

Lattice thus pioneered the fabless semiconductor business model by making licence and manufacturing deals CMOS EEPROM technology with wafer fabs around the world viz.USA based : Synertek Inc, VLSI Technology Inc, National Semiconductor ; Japan based :Seiko Semiconductor, NMB Semiconductor and Europe based: ST Microelectronics

Xilinx Inc copied the Lattice Invented fabless business model in 1984 ,but unlike Lattice, using third party manufacturing technology

The fabless semiconductor business model invented by Lattice Semiconductor under the leadership of Lattice founder Rahul Sud is today the default semiconductor industry model used by 98% of semiconductor companies such as Nvidia, Broadcom &Qualcomm

Morris Chang founded the world's first dedicated silicon foundry TSMC in 1987 ,4 years after Lattice had pioneered the fabless semiconductor business model in 1984.

Today 98% of the world's semiconductor companies use the fabless semiconductor business model invented by Lattice Semiconductor in 1983 and generates over 65% of the semiconductor industries revenues exceeding $500 Billion .

Though Lattice CEO Rahul Sud's visionary decision to cancel the Lattice semiconductor wafer fab after the factory was already constructed was widely criticized by Silicon Valley's Pundits at the time, it has became the default semiconductor Industry business model world wide.

Lattice Founding and early Days :

Dr. Rahul Sud ,USA Electronics Man of the Year ,Semiconductor Memories ,left his job as Director of Memory Engineering ,Intel to found Lattice Semiconductor (Incorporated Tigard, Oregon ,May 6,1983) with $ 1.1 million from a group of local Portland ,Oregon entrepreneurs : Harry Merlo (Chairman Louisiana Pacific Corporation, world's 2nd largest timber company),Tom Moyer, Owner Moyer Theatres(Largest movie theatre chain on the west coast, John Piacentini, Owner Seven Eleven stores ,Oregon, Jerry Pratt, Portland businessman ,Norman Winnigstad, Chairman Floating Point Systems ( Defunct, 1986), and Max Birnbach, Owner, Roses Delicatessen, Portland Oregon. Rahul was strongly assisted in writing business plans by former Electronics Magazine Editor ,Raymond Capece from New York ,who he named co-founder.Rahul Sud & Rich Basecki conceived and implemented Lattice's proprietary Ultramos process which beat both market leaders Intel and SEEQ as well as all other companies worldwide to become the world's first high volume manufacturer of non volatile memory technology.

Key founding team members include :

Rich Basecki, VP Technology. Rich had developed the process for Rahul Sud's revolutionary SRAM design that killed market leader's Intel's SRAM business and took 95% of thw world SRAM market share. Prior to that Rich had developed the process for the MOSTEK MK 4116 the world leading legendary 16K DRAM that took 95% of the world market share.

A Roger Pease ,a former partner of Touche Ross (Now Deloitte and Touche) joined Lattice as its first Chief Financial Officer .Roger was instrumental in helping Rahul Sud raise $ 50 Million to build Lattice to volume manufacturing and a $ 50 Million a year run rate.

Jay McBride headed Physical Design .Jay had previously done the physical design of the worlds fastest SRAM the Inmos IMS140O designed by Rahul Sud & Kim Hardee. Key Physical Design experts working with Jay included Dave Tennet (formerly working form Rahul at Intel) and Ken Campbell (Formerly SEEQ)

Pamela Aebi Jones ,joined Lattice as Vice President Human Resources and was instrumental in helping Rahul Sud recruit key people .

Terry Jones ,former VP Sales of AMD and right hand man of legendary founder, CEO of AMD Jerry Sanders

Key founding engineers :

SRAM: Rod Tesch ,Paul Zagar, Jack Price
EEPROM: Richard Jolly
Generic Array Logic: John Turner, David Rutledge, Greg Josephson, Roy Darling, Jonathan Spitz
DSP: Dieter Spaderna

Lattice Semiconductor achieved manufacturing and sales within 2.5 years of founding and has generated positive cash flow of $50-100 million year after year since its early days. Lattice has received the annual GSA award for being the most respected public semiconductor company in 2024 and 2025.
It is now the State of Oregon's second most valuable company ,just after Nike.

Of the over 5500 semiconductor companies funded over the past 50 years, only 14 survive today, of which Lattice Semiconductor is the most profitable .