SEMICON Europa in Stuttgart Germany will feature a number of special workshops, meetings and education events related to the materials industry.

On Tuesday, 7 October 2008, 14:00–17:00 at the New Messe Stuttgart Conference Center the workshop SEMI Standards Workshop, Issues in Measuring Particles in Semiconductor Grade Liquid Chemicals, will be held discuss issues in chemical and liquid particle analysis. The measurement of particles in process chemicals and gases creates a number of challenges for the semiconductor industry. For example, different instruments can often provide differing particle measurement data for similar chemical samples. In addition, the traditional calibration technique using latex spheres in water is likely to be inappropriate for use with typical semiconductor process chemicals, due to significantly differing refractive indices when comparing that of the liquid/particle system under investigation with that of the calibration mixture. Other issues include how to approach the correlation of particle measurement at the point of delivery, with particle size data appropriate to that at the point of use. Measurements are often taken offline but whether this is truly representative can be questionable. Issues also exist with gases and these will also be addressed.

For more information visit: http://www.semiconeuropa.org/ProgramsandEvents/Standards/ctr_024289

On Wednesday 8 October; 09:00–13:00 the 7th Silicon Wafer Standards Workshop will be held to discuss ”Si Wafer Trends and Requirements for Solar and Semiconductor Devices”

The workshop aims to inform the semiconductor community about future silicon wafer developments and potential standardization needs. Future technology generations will require increasingly perfect and optimized Si Wafers, challenging manufacturing processes as well as related metrology. This includes bare Si Wafers as well as wafers with functional layers. Standardization with respect to wafer parameters as well as metrology for establishing a common understanding and language regarding these issues would benefit the entire semiconductor industry.

This year’s workshop will be targeting both the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries. Semiconductor Industry Topics will include 450 mm wafers status update, defects and particles on silicon wafer edge and an update on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and strained-Si wafers. Photovoltaic Industry Topics will include Poly-Si versus refined Silicon, relationship of material properties and solar cell efficiency, advanced Solar Cells and Industry Standards activity update.

More information on this workshop can be found at:

http://www.semiconeuropa.org/ProgramsandEvents/Semiconductor/ctr_025529?parent=yes&parentId=144

On Tuesday, 7 October, 09:30–12:30 a Standards Technical Education Program (STEP) will be provided on “SEMI Statistical Guidelines for Ship to Control”.

The new SEMI Standard SEMI C64-0308—SEMI Statistical Guidelines for Ship-to-Control, provides a set of guidelines for the quantitative determination of statistically derived limits from process data for the purpose of defining and maintaining Ship-to-Control (STC) limits. There has always been variability in incoming chemical specifications due to inconsistencies in statistical quality control practices in both suppliers and users. To help prevent unproven materials from being shipped, SEMI C64-0308 defines a standard practice for determining ship to control limits. This standardized methodology provides the rigorous control limits that are likely to prove cost effective with broad application of Ship to Control.

The program will provide training with respect to the philosophy underlying the choice of statistical methodologies and associated rule sets utilized in the Ship-to-Control standard.

For more information on this workshop, see

http://www.semiconeuropa.org/ProgramsandEvents/Standards/ctr_024292

A complete schedule of Standards meetings and agendas at SEMICOn Europa can be located at http://www.semiconeuropa.org/ProgramsandEvents/Standards/index.htm?parent=yes&parentId=144