COVID-19

Internships provide a wealth of benefits for students and corporate managers as they work side-by-side in a real-world environment. Students gain practical, hands-on experience and employers get an infusion of fresh energy, diverse ideas and eager talent.The full value of an on-site internship – the ultimate job interview – flowers when it leads to full-time employment.That was before “everything went crazy,” said Tina Revels, university relations manager at KLA, during her Smart Workforce Pavilion presentation The New Reality: Digital Internships at the virtual SEMICON West 2020. Today, amid COVID-19 restrictions, everyone must adjust to a new reality – a virtual reality. Part of this substantial shift has led to internships going digital.“Internships are more important than ever as we shift to a virtual reality,” Revels said, explaining how today’s job seekers and companies alike can make sure digital internships sustain the same mutual benefits as traditional ones.At companies turning to digital internships, managers need to do more upfront planning to re-create real-world experiences that make interns “feel engaged and connected with one another,” Revels said. For prospective interns, digital internships require greater independence, self-management discipline, and responsibility than traditional internships – all critical skills that can lead to permanent employment.Watch Revels’ full presentation below to learn how to get the most out of digital internships. Register for virtual SEMICON West 2020 to access the additional Smart Workforce and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sessions, which covered dynamic topics such as job searches during uncertain times, creating a culture of inclusivity, supplier diversity, and hiring military veterans. The content is available until September 20, 2020.Learn more about the SEMI Foundation and how its Workforce Development and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives are helping build the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain’s talent pipeline.Bryson Gauff is program manager for SEMI High Tech U.

Tracking and quickly diagnosing COVID-19 infections, working from home and telemedicine recently came into sharp focus as technology executives and other subject matter experts from microelectronics heavyweights recently gathered for the first-ever virtual SEMI CTO Forum to explore how the microelectronics industry and their own companies can leverage future technology trends to drive growth. Themed Intelligent Medtech and Wearable Technologies, the forum drew CTOs from ARM, Babblelabs, Brewer Science, Dell, Dow/Dupont, E-Ink, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Lam Research, KLA, Microchip, ON Semiconductor, Qualcomm, Tokyo Electron, Ulvac, Veeco and Xilinx. The event is designed as a strategic driver of pre-competitive innovation. Following are key takeaways from the forum. Microfluidics Promises to Speed COVID-19 Diagnosis More than 240 companies worldwide are developing microfluidics solutions to improve diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and other conditions, said forum speaker Dr. Kurt Petersen, a member of Band of Angels, Silicon Valley's oldest angel investment group, with an illustrious background1 in technology. And their innovations are bearing fruit. Cepheid, a company founded by Dr. Petersen, has developed a disposable microfluidic cartridge, Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2, used by doctors to swab the inside of a patient’s mouth. Highlighting the vital role of MEMS in medical electronics, the tiny powerful devices are behind a test that can detect COVID-19 infection in under 40 minutes. Dr. Petersen also cited a few examples of implantables and injectables under development, including: In vivo chemical sensing: Profusa developed a continuous glucose monitoring sensor via an optical patch. Glaucoma pressure monitors: Injectsense built a silicon chip the size of a grain of rice that is embedded in the eye to measure eye pressure. Retinal implants: Second Sight implanted a 60-electrode array chip that projects images onto the retina to improve vision. Microelectronics Takes Aim at Battling COVID-19 The event’s CTO roundtable, a platform for discussing societal and technology issues, revealed microelectronics technology will likely give rise to solutions for combatting pandemics and new business opportunities both in the short and long run. Areas of the greatest interest included: Tracking and Security: Infection tracking accuracy is key to limiting the spread of viruses yet comes with inherent privacy and security challenges. The consensus view of the executives was that developing trusted hardware capabilities is critical for adoption of accurate infection-tracking technologies. Remote Operation: Executives expect working from home or the use of telehealth to continue building momentum long after pandemic. To give staying power to the remote communications at the heart of these trends, microelectronics ecosystems will need to boost compute performance, both at the edge and in the cloud, while increasing bandwidth to enable applications such as augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and advanced data analytics. Edge intelligence: The challenge of remote communications spans both people and the Internet of Things (IoT). Questions persist about how hundreds of billions of sensors will connect to the cloud and how much power they will consume. The need to push computing to where data is generated – at the edge – is rising and the necessary underlying technologies will only come by combining various forms of distributed computing and analytics. The microelectronics industry’s ability to seize these opportunities will only be possible with huge strides in innovation, raising concerns among the CTOs about the financial viability of cutting-edge devices because of increasing device complexity and R D costs. Technology partnerships and collaborations – an area where SEMI is contributing and will continue to expand its efforts as it works with the CTO community – will be critical to containing R D costs. SEMI will help the executives identify and mobilize the resources key to future innovation. Improving Home, Work Productivity and Experiences Key to AR Adoption Smart wearables also offer great promise. In just over a decade, AR and VR have grown from science fiction to practical uses such as AR applications for smart contact lenses, said Dr. Mike Wiemer, Co-Founder and CTO of Mojo Vision2. Dr. Wiemer said that while many AR applications remain under development, the technology will only see widespread adoption once it starts to improve productivity and efficiency at home and work and the quality of other experiences. The smart augmented reality contact lens developed by Mojo Vision is a step in that direction. The product’s built-in display gives users timely information about everything they see while remaining invisible by packing 70,000 pixels into a space smaller than a half a millimeter across, making it the smallest and densest dynamic display ever made. The contact lens is powered by an ARM-based processor, with later versions adding an image sensor, eye-tracking sensors and a communications chip. SEMI thanks EMD Performance Materials and Telit for sponsoring the CTO Forum. For more information on the CTO Forum and SEMI’s Smart Data-AI initiative, please sign up on our webpage. 1 Dr. Kurt Petersen is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an IEEE Medal of Honor winner, and a Life Fellow of the IEEE for his contributions to the commercialization of MEMS technology. 2 Dr. Wiemer also co-founded Solar Junction, where he led technical teams to two world records in solar cell efficiency (43.5% and 44%). He also has patents and papers in Semiconductor Devices Applications, Silicon Photonics, Materials Integration, Lasers, Solar Cells, Solar Systems, and Analog Circuits. Tom Salmon is Vice President of Collaborative Technology Platforms at SEMI. Pushkar P. Apte, Ph.D., is Strategic Technology Advisor for the Smart Data AI Initiative at SEMI.

SEMI Korea is back on track. New confirmed COVID-19 cases in Korea now average about 50 per day – with more than half from abroad – after peaking in early March, setting the stage for the Seoul office’s first on-site program since the global coronavirus outbreak began.For four days in late July, SEMI Korea held the Semiconductor Process Technology Tutorial (SPT Tutorial) at COEX, home to SEMICON Korea. Nearly 180 university students and chip engineers gathered for two semiconductor manufacturing courses (beginner and intermediate) taught by professors from schools including Hongik and Sungkyunkwan Universities and senior engineers from major semiconductor makers. The beginner’s course covered the end-to-end chipmaking process and the intermediate class examined key phases of semiconductor manufacturing including silicon wafer preparation, cleaning and CMP, lithography, etch, metrology and inspection, implantation and diffusion, deposition and packaging.Social distancing, now part of daily life in Korea, and other protective measures implemented by SEMI Korea to ensure the safety and well-being of the attendees and lecturers made the event possible. SEMI Korea followed best COVID-19 practices including the following.Step 1. Site check of COVID-19 prevention systemCOEX is amply equipped with sanitizers and thermal imaging cameras, with medical staff available in case of an emergency. COEX also constantly monitors air quality at the entire facility while keeping it well-ventilated. Step 2. Screening of registrants Online medical questionnaire review: After attendees completed a SEMI Korea medical questionnaire and submitted it prior to registration, SEMI Korea checked the health status of each attendee and whether they had recently traveled overseas to a high-risk COVID-19 region. Registrant identification: Upon each registrant’s arrival at COEX, SEMI Korea confirmed that the identification of each attendees matched the registrant who completed the questionnaire. Temperature measurement and sanitizer use: SEMI Korea required all attendees to apply hand sanitizer before entering the classroom and measured the body temperature of each. Anyone running a temperature would have been denied entry. Mask Wearing: All attendees were required to wear mask socially distance during check-in and the lectures. Attendees line up for registration while social distancing. Step 3. Badge Distribution and Classroom Entry: Once attendees had passed through all the safety protocols, they were given badges and admitted to the lecture room. Each classroom table was equipped with acrylic desktop social distancing shields to contain the respiratory aerosols of the students. In addition, only one-way passage was allowed through entrances and exits to minimize contact among participants. Acrylic desktop shields helped with social distancing. "Thanks to SEMI's thorough COVID-19 prevention plan for COVID-19, both the speakers and attendees participated in the tutorial confident that the environment was safe,” said speaker Professor Taesung Kim of Sungkyunkwan University. “I look forward to seeing SEMI continue to take these precautions to help the semiconductor industry remain connected and grow.”SEMI Korea moves forward with nine on-site events in 2020Webinars will continue to serve as important forums for SEMI Korea to help members connect, collaborate and innovate while preventing the spread of COVID-19. But to help the industry grow and prosper, SEMI Korea’s on-site events – which have always and will continue to make safety the top priority – will remain robust.In 2020, SEMI Korea will host nine on-site events including the MEMS Sensor Forum and SMC Korea. We appreciate the industry’s support and cooperation as the world continues to battle COVID-19 and look forward to connecting with members in webinars and at on-site events again soon!Jaegwan Shim is a marketing specialist at SEMI Korea.

At SEMICON West 2020, the Honorable Al Gore, former U.S. Vice President and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for environmental activism, commented on the world being in the midst of a “sustainability revolution.” Just what did he mean by that, and why bring that message to us? The answer is that he believes the digital transformation wields the magnitude of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, but with the exponential speed that the semiconductor industry created and enabled. Ok, that would put him in the right place… SEMICON West.Among a rich lineup of speakers to mark the 50th anniversary of the event – and 50 years of the semiconductor industry facilitating the innovation of the Information Age -- Gore joined other icons in their fields who graced the virtual stage for our featured keynotes. Each analyzed how microchip advances are critical to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges.As host of the conference, I had the privilege of introducing Gore; Gary Dickerson, President and CEO of Applied Materials; and, Dr. John Kelly III, Executive Vice President and Director of IBM Research, along with other renowned speakers. Their insights seemed especially timely for how our global supply chain can help to build a more sustainable future. Following are a few of the highlights from their discussions. Al Gore – The Planet Faces Existential CrisisIn his keynote conversation with Greenbiz editorial director Heather Clancy kicking off SEMICON West 2020, Gore emphasized that digital technology advances – and in particular microchip innovation – provide the greatest opportunities to overcome the world’s most epic challenges. Chip breakthroughs will be the cutting edge of what he called the rapidly growing sustainability revolution to improve energy efficiency, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and optimize the performance of renewable energy generated by solar, wind, and electric battery sources.“We face an inflection point as we rely more on data and communications technology, particularly in areas like cloud computing and artificial intelligence,” Gore said. “Industry is aware of this and working on it, but this meeting (SEMICON West 2020) with your present leadership marks a real turning point. It’s something to be proud of, something to be celebrated. It’s what gives me hope.”Citing Moore’s Law and enormous strides made in chip efficiency and effectiveness, Gore said that within two years smart chips will make everything from solar panels and batteries to renewable energy plants and electric vehicles to be both cost- and performance-competitive with traditional energy sources. Afterwards, renewable energy will be more attractive. Gore urged the energy-intensive semiconductor industry to shift to more renewable power sources for manufacturing. To meet this challenge, Gore encouraged the industry to embrace strategies for “step changes”: First, collaborate and share best practices more transparently across the entire microelectronics value chain. Examples already abound where “cutting-edge apps, AI, and deep learning reduced data server energy use significantly without hardware changes,” he said. Second, reduce electricity required to manufacture smarter and smaller semiconductors. Gore encouraged “all of the equipment manufacturers to work together to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in manufacturing these advanced semiconductors.” Third, follow the lead of a growing number of companies that “continue decarbonizing the power supply on which data centers operate,” he said. Fourth, work with government through the Science Based Target Initiative, which sets decarbonization limits that keep global temperatures no more than two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Finally, rely on “diversity of thought” and “collective thinking” when innovating for the digital future. Research and experience prove that different points of view lead to better decisions. The technology industry has made progress in workforce diversity, but more can be done, Gore said. This last point plays to our collaborative strengths as SEMI members and an industry. “It is just unbearable to imagine a future generation living with the kinds of consequences scientists tell us would ensue if we don’t heed their warnings and solve this crisis,” Gore said, drawing parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have to accept the situation and make sure we do everything we can. I am inspired by this industry’s leadership, innovation, and spirit to rise to the challenge and make a difference.”Gary Dickerson – Making Possible A Better FutureTo ensure another 50 years of accelerating growth and innovation, today’s semiconductor leaders must share a deep commitment to a more sustainable and just supply chain industrywide.“The first thing we need to do is decouple our growth from environmental impacts,” Dickerson said in his keynote. “Our responsibility as leaders is to leave the world a better place.”Dickerson said that while he firmly believes the explosion of processing and storage data has “the potential to change the world,” the downside is that it also has the potential to rapidly expand our industry’s carbon footprint. Without dramatic change, electrical usage will continue to rise as machines generate and consume more data, compute performance progresses, and workloads from the edge to the cloud grow.“It will be impossible to create neural networks (using AI) with the rate of today’s power consumption,” Dickerson said, noting that more improvements must be made in the performance and efficiency of semiconductor devices, architectures, structures, materials, and advanced packaging.Dickerson urged the electronics ecosystem to “permanently think and act differently” by breaking down communication barriers among systems integrators, equipment suppliers, design and manufacturing service providers, and other industry players. Sharing learnings and best practices will be vital to this change, he said. Dickerson unveiled SuCCESS2030 (Supply Chain Certification for Environmental and Social Sustainability) – Applied Materials’ 10-year roadmap for creating a more sustainable supply chain – during his talk. Under the SuCCESS2030 initiative, Applied Materials will hold its suppliers to the company’s own high standards for committing to renewable energy and workforce diversity by setting targets such as: Reducing supply chain carbon emissions 15 percent in four years by relying more on intermodal shipping than air freight Transitioning the supply chain to recycled content packaging, with a target of 80 percent by the end of 2023 Eliminating phosphate-based, pre-treatment of metal surfaces by 2024 Working with trade associations like SEMI to develop diversity and inclusion strategies to increase underrepresented minorities in the workplace Dickerson said that deeper and more open partnerships between Applied Materials and its customers and suppliers have led to a number of promising outcomes. Examples include hardware and software upgrades, product and service optimizations, and improvements in chip architectures that increased throughput density for higher system performance while decreasing power and chemical consumption, costs, and space requirements. What’s more, Applied Materials recently introduced its Selective Tungsten Process Technology, which uses new materials, atomic-level designs, and ultra-clean rooms to improve the performance of interconnected transistors while lowering power consumption.Dickerson said the COVID-19 pandemic has awakened the world to the power of digital technologies that make it possible to communicate, collaborate, and share data across the globe while sheltering in place. “When I think of the world’s grand challenges, it’s clear the semiconductor industry has a critical role to play,” Dickerson said. “I strongly believe we’re in a position to shape the future and leave the world a better place.”John E. Kelly III – 50 Years That Changed The World … And We’re Just Getting Started During the past half century, semiconductors have given rise to essentially every major technology advance, Kelly said in his keynote. Microchip innovation has played a central role in rocketing humans to the moon, simulating nuclear weapons on a supercomputer, connecting people to nearly everything via mobile devices, and keeping people alive with pacemakers and other electronic medical devices.The strides in innovation have been staggering. In 1970, a semiconductor chip featured a few thousand components. Today, that number stands at 50 billion. Breakthroughs in everything from materials and chemicals to polishing, processes and interconnectivity have driven gains in power-efficiency and performance while reducing chip size.Moore’s Law is far from dead. Paraphrasing Winston Churchill, Kelly said, semiconductor innovation today is not at “the beginning of the end, but at the end of the beginning, and the best is yet to come – driven by extreme collaboration and extreme innovation to solve the world’s biggest challenges.”Kelly said he believes technology is the only answer to the onslaught of grand challenges confronting societies and people today, including air and water pollution, climate change, diminishing natural resources, storm-related disasters, food supply shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic.Kelly lamented that the world’s response to COVID-19 illustrates that “not much has changed” since the Spanish Flu crisis a century ago. The same technology – masks – remains the primary defense. “I think if we had used digital technologies and computer modeling earlier on, we could have detected the spread of this flu” to minimize its impact, Kelly said.Today’s computer modeling and analytics capabilities aren’t quite ready yet to tackle such complex problems as pandemics, global warming, or water contamination. However, Kelly said, several game-changing technologies – all powered by semiconductors – are emerging as promising answers to our most daunting challenges.“It’s all about the data, and artificial intelligence is the way forward – it’s analytics on steroids, and many new devices will be required to drive AI at the scale of these problems,” Kelly said. “The second technology revolves around not just cloud computing but edge computing and cloud at the edge. Data will be generated in enormous amounts at the edge, which is where we will need to store and compute the data. The next is Quantum Computing. Frankly, we do not have enough computing power yet to look at some of the biggest challenges we have.”All these advances will present new challenges for the semiconductor industry, such as developing new materials, new chip architectures and new mapping structures for AI-embedded devices to reach their full potential.With many of these disruptive innovations too large for any company to solve singlehandedly, Kelly advised industry players to form more “radical partnerships.”“Extreme collaboration and extreme innovation will drive solutions to all these world challenges,” Kelly said. “The best is yet to come.”Radical partnerships… Sustainable revolutions… Extreme innovation… It’s been 50 years of SEMICON West, but it sounds like we’re just getting the real magic started. Like John Kelly said and the other keynoters emphasized, the best is yet to come.Dave Anderson is president of SEMI Americas.

Humanity has survived almost unimaginable challenges over the past 5,000 years of documented human history. From war, famine and natural disasters to the first global pandemic in the last 100 years, more often than not, people have relied on one another to survive and thrive again. As the industry association representing the global microelectronics industry, SEMI has similarly made collaboration and community integral to the fabric of its organization. From helping members to succeed through the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitating member-driven industry standards around environmental health and safety, materials, and manufacturing capabilities, this approach shows members that standing together is better than standing alone.On the eve of the 50th annual SEMICON West (July 20-23, 2020) — the first virtual edition in SEMI’s history — I spoke with SEMI’s vice president of technology communities, Michael Ciesinski, about the role of SEMI in tackling big challenges through an active member community intent on solving problems through collaboration.SEMI: How long have you worked with SEMI and in what capacity?Ciesinski: In January 2016, I started my second tour at SEMI when FlexTech, the industry consortium I’d been leading, became SEMI’s first strategic partner. Nearly two years into that role, SEMI President CEO Ajit Manocha asked me to form Technology Communities to engage members with common interests. After FlexTech, we brought on the Fab Owners Alliance, then MEMS Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), and later the Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance).SEMI now has more than 20 communities in all, including Smart MedTech, Smart Data AI, Smart Manufacturing, Electronic Materials, and Integrated Packaging, Assembly and Test.SEMI: What is your role with Technology Communities — and how do members stand to benefit?Ciesinski: The leadership of Technology Communities ensures that SEMI’s benefits and services align to our members’ interests so we can provide member benefits that matter most. This spans forming communities where people hold common interests (e.g., advanced packaging) to facilitating standards that will promote intelligence in manufacturing (e.g., data standards for AI and machine learning) as well as providing R D funding.I’m especially proud that over the past three years, SEMI has brought more than $40 million in R D funding to our members, with most grants in the $500,000-$1 million range. We’ve been especially successful in securing funding in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) through U.S. Army Research Laboratories (ARL), a model we first developed through FlexTech.Two recent recipients of FHE funding, GE Research and ITN Energy Systems, show how the grants are spawning partnership opportunities among commercial enterprises, R D organizations and universities. In developing lightweight, non-invasive wearables, including a human-performance sweat-monitoring patch that remotely analyzes sweat to detect hydration levels and other vital signs, GE Research is using key components such as sensors and lightweight batteries in its designs.ITN Energy Systems designed a flexible all-solid-state lithium battery that’s printed on light, flexible substrates to power small and incredibly thin applications.Universities are also benefiting by plugging into the SEMI ecosystem. In fact, 40-50 percent of funded projects are seeding commercialization by universities. This is another validation that SEMI’s collaborative, community approach to microelectronics is working.SEMI: Position, Timing and Navigation (PNT) is another hot area where SEMI has secured ARL funding. What makes this funding different and why is it important?Ciesinski: The PNT grant makes ARL funding available to the MEMS Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) members through SEMI for the first time. If you’ve ever lost GPS signal while coming out of a tunnel, you know how frustrating that is. For us, that’s an inconvenience, but for a healthcare worker in a remote location who’s waiting for a delivery of medication by drone, it could be life-critical. While that’s just one example of why we need PNT to operate when GPS isn’t available, I can imagine dozens of other important dual-use cases, including autonomous driving.SEMI: How else do Technology Communities benefit under SEMI?Ciesinski: Technology Communities need access to diverse resources to spur continuous innovation. Electronic Materials Group participants, for example, need to stay informed on regulations coming out of Asia, the U.S. and Europe that may affect their businesses. Where else other than SEMI can like-minded stakeholders congregate with people up and down the supply chain to determine whether industry-wide action is needed on regulation?SEMI: What is the importance of SEMI’s global footprint?Ciesinski: I’ve worked with many associations and managed major industry consortia. The clear advantage of SEMI is our global footprint. And that’s vital because microelectronics is a global industry involving a multitude of stakeholders that play essential roles in the supply chain.Let’s say you want to discuss EU regulations on hazardous chemicals. Rather than decipher these complexities alone, you can pick up the phone to speak with someone on SEMI’s European team to learn what’s critical.What if you’d like more information on the 20-plus new fabs that are going up in China? You can explore that question with our SEMI China or SEMI Industry Research and Statistics teams.SEMI: How has SEMI evolved over the years?Ciesinski: SEMI has a long history of providing what the industry cares about. We started in trade shows and pivoted to industry standards. We began with small silicon wafers and wafer carriers, and now within the span of 50 years we’re working on data-format standards that will support the application of AI and machine learning (ML) in the semiconductor industry.While highly varied today, data-format standards will help component manufacturers refine processes to create more efficient solutions. This ARL-funded program, which pairs SEMI members with the grant recipient, Cornell University, may offer dramatic gains in the productivity of semiconductor manufacturing.SEMI: How does SEMI’s approach to COVID-19 reflect core values of collaboration and community?Ciesinski: Together with Ajit Manocha, CMO Terry Tsao and other team members at SEMI, we pulled together a task force to help SEMI members navigate the pandemic.We tapped two existing groups, Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) and Information Technology Leadership (ITL) from the start, documenting their strategic and tactical approaches to help all members through the COVID-19 resource section of our website. The EHS section provides tips on facilities and meetings, employee policies, business travel and communications, while the ITL section lists insights on computing hardware for staff, licensing, networks, security and employee policies.Our EHS leadership team, which includes Entegris, Axcelis, Versum, and Intel, immediately started sharing best practices for sanitizing facilities. As a result of team meetings, SEMI EHS shared best practices on keeping the workforce remote and guidelines for returning people to work safely. From securing PPE and safeguarding employees and visitors by performing thermal scanning to outlining communications around potential employee exposures, EHS has provided meaningful resources for the benefit of all members.SEMI also took immediate steps in the area of advocacy. Our advocacy team in Washington, D.C., together with regional SEMI presidents around the world, have ensured that semiconductor facilities were and still are considered essential businesses in the U.S., Europe and Asia. That’s because microelectronics are foundational to fighting the pandemic.Microfluidics are critical to the Reverse Transcription (RT) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests most commonly used for COVID-19. Sensors are embedded in the pulse oximeters that allow patients and healthcare professionals to monitor a vital rubric: oxygen saturation level. If oxygen saturation level drops into the low 90 percentiles or below, it may be time to go to the hospital for treatment.Microcontroller units are essential components in a wide range of hospital equipment, including the ventilators that may make the difference between life and death in the most seriously ill patients.SEMI: How can the ingenuity realized through microelectronics continue to help us tackle other big problems? Ciesinski: We have MEMS and sensors to thank for distributed intelligence, giving us the ability to put sensors anywhere, locally based in the field or in the packaging house.Food production is a prime example. Leveraging miniaturized wirelessly connected sensors, we can trace food through the entire production lifecycle, from the seed in the ground to the food in the warehouse and, ultimately, to the product that lands on the table.From larger enterprise such as IBM Food Trust to small startups, we’re using MEMS and sensors to improve crop yields so we can feed a human population that’s growing each year.There’s a sustainability piece as well. We’re using MEMS and sensors to reduce the amount of fertilizer or other nutrients or chemicals in the soil. That’s good for the environment and for the agricultural workers who labor in the fields.MEMS and sensors can also condense the time it takes to perform a specific task, conserving human resources.SEMI: Where do you think SEMI will go in the next decade?Ciesinski: Ten years from now, I believe we will still have our global footprint in place. I expect it will expand, particularly in Asia.We may also expand into new areas such as Latin America and Central America, which would provide at least two major benefits: People working in microelectronics would, I hope, have access to better quality of life. And diversifying the supply chain would allow nations and regions to have more control over the products they need, from PPE to medications, which may help us to better manage through the next pandemic.I am also hopeful that SEMI will be on the leading edge of helping our members communicate in much different fashion from what we have today. We’re already expanding beyond the paradigm of in-person meetings for standards meetings and conferences. As we move forward, I think we’ll see a hybrid solution to doing business, combining in-person meetings with virtual conferences and digital content that’s available 24/7.Whatever changes we see in SEMI, I’m confident that we will continue to see a global footprint in an industry association that prioritizes connections among members.Engage in the SEMI experience at upcoming SEMICON WestRegister today to hear from keynote speakers such as environmental advocate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, futurist and author Steve Brown, and IBM Research senior vice president and director Dr. John E. Kelly III, and Lea Gabrielle, special envoy of the Global Engagement Center for the U.S. State Department, at SEMICON West , July 20-23, 2020. Content will be live streamed and available on-demand. Michael Ciesinski is vice president of Technology Communities for SEMI, the global microelectronics industry association, appointed in August 2018. At SEMI, he directs activity for more than 20 industry groups, oversees the association’s R D funding program, and develops new technology initiatives to serve SEMI’s 2,400 members. Prior to re-joining SEMI, Ciesinski was president/CEO of FlexTech Alliance, an industry consortium focused on new methods of creating electronics. From 1995-2008, Ciesinski served in a similar role at the U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a private/public partnership chartered with building the infrastructure for electronic display and flexible electronics manufacturing. Both FlexTech and USDC annually sponsor multimillion dollar technology development programs and provide industry technical, financial and market services. Ciesinski is a graduate of the University of Albany, NY, and a former member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee at California Polytechnic State University.Maria Vetrano is a PR consultant at SEMI.

Data recently collected by SEMI points to only a moderate slowdown in the industry’s pursuit of talent, illustrating the growing and significant need for attracting workers at all levels of the organization. With COVID-19’s devastating impact on many sectors of the economy, the time is ripe to sharpen the industry’s focus on attracting and training a new wave of workers to meet the growing talent needs across our industry.To help illuminate the state of microelectronics industry hiring during the pandemic, following are three takeaways from recent workforce development data. Key Takeaway 1 – Emsi Hiring Data and Analytics ReviewIn a May 5 SEMI webinar on the Future of Work, presenter Andrew Crapuchettes, CEO at Emsi, a labor data analytics firm based in Moscow, Idaho, revealed that the U.S. semiconductor equipment and device manufacturing sectors posted 199,326 total jobs (32,022 unique positions) from March through June 2020 with an advertised median annual salary of $68,500 – the highest posting intensity for all other occupations and companies in the U.S. Crapuchettes noted that “although the job postings number was actually down from the previous quarter, some of the large companies have shown flat or growing postings during this period. At Emsi, we are evangelists for more accurately establishing the requirements for the job to more closely match the skills actually being sought.”He pointed to a gap between the skills employers list in job postings and those employees itemize in their resumes. Today’s use of algorithmic resume analysis, however, may reveal false gaps in hiring. Emsi is working with several Fortune 500 companies in the electronics sector to help them analyze their job postings. The goal: to better understand if they have identified the right skills for their business and the recipe for attracting top talent. Emsi supports programs such as the SEMI Works workforce development initiative that are out to more closely align job seekers and curriculum development with the skills needed for microelectronics design, development and manufacturing.During COVID-19, Crapuchettes sees companies across all industries doubling down on employee training. For many organizations, a business slowdown is an opportunity to identify and work to fill employee skill gaps and prepare companies to emerge stronger once the pandemic has passed. Key Takeaway 2 – SEMI COVID Impact SurveyIn March, April and June, SEMI surveyed members to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and help inform SEMI’s response. Among the questions in the June survey was “How has COVID-19 impacted your hiring plans?” Of the more than 300 respondents, just 13% reported a hiring freeze and 55% said their hiring plans remain unchanged.Figure 2: Data from SEMI COVID-19 Impact Survey All SEMI regions show a similar pattern. Japan, Korea and China reported little to no slowdown in hiring as shown in Figure 2. Differences across regions were notable with more cautious approaches to hiring adopted by North America, Europe and Taiwan, with some companies slowing hiring for certain positions.Key Takeaway 3 – SEMI Survey of Workforce Development Advisory CouncilSEMI relies on members for industry insights we use to build, evolve and prioritize our programs. A June survey of SEMI America’s Workforce Development and Diversity Inclusion Advisory Council showed that, while some member companies have delayed hiring until the pandemic’s impact of the industry is clearer, most respondents see this period as an opportunity to attract talent to the electronics industry and maintain hiring programs to meet the growing demand for talent the digital revolution is fueling. The survey data, as shown in Figure 3, is consistent with Emsi’s results and a larger SEMI member survey. Our June survey also illustrated the strong desire by the Council for SEMI to support diverse communities and lead efforts to connect talent from these groups with career opportunities in electronics. All survey respondents urged SEMI to place the highest priority on promoting Diversity Inclusion in the workforce, with 57% ranking university outreach as a high priority. Visit the Workforce Development Pavilion at Virtual SEMICON West 2020 for More InformationThe microelectronics industry is making a huge impact in the COVID-19 era – from developing the tools to run algorithms for companies working on a vaccine, to keeping the internet humming for home workers and online ordering for homebound seniors. But these services will only continue to evolve at a rapid clip with the right talent. SEMI programs remain laser-focused on pursuing and developing that talent.Thank you to all members who responded to the surveys and Emsi for contributing to understanding of the workforce need in the current climate. We invite all members to connect with SEMI Workforce Development activities. We need your help to align skills to curriculum (SEMI Certs), presenting at our workforce development events and donating to the SEMI Foundation, which provides financial support for much of our work.Learn more about how you can help the industry grow its talent pipeline at the SMART WorkForce Pavilion at the virtual SEMICON West – July 21-23! Checking out the pavilion is free, but there’s a modest fee for the content. Register now for a discounted all-in pass to enjoy blister- and COVID-free access to the first virtual SEMICON West ever. Shari Liss is Executive Director of the SEMI Foundation. She oversees the development and success of all programs from K-12 through re-skilling for veterans.

On June 20, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) suspending the issuance of H-1B, H-2B, J-1 and L visas for applicants residing outside of the United States without an active work permit. The order took effect today and will be in force through the end of 2020. The suspension of H-1B and L-1 visas, in particular, likely will impact negatively the ability of U.S. companies in the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain and the broader technology community to recruit and retain global talent and to temporarily transfer international engineers and executives to support critical operations in the U.S.According to the administration, the issuance of visas for skilled temporary workers into the U.S. poses a “significant threat to employment opportunities for Americans affected by the extraordinary economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.” Although SEMI fully supports administration efforts to address economic disruptions and job losses caused by the pandemic, we believe blanket restrictions on high-skilled immigration will be counterproductive to government and industry initiatives supporting a broad-based economic recovery. Semiconductors are the foundation of all electronics and information technology (IT), enabling innovation and growth in countless other industries including medical devices and the IT solutions that enable remote work and the connectivity desperately needed in current economic times. Access to global engineering talent and the worldwide mobility of technology executives are central to supporting the industry’s efforts to contribute to economic recovery in fields ranging from healthcare and telecommunications to transportation infrastructure.The EO authorizes the Secretaries of State, Homeland Security and Labor to establish criteria for exceptions to the blanket ban, including employment categories that: are critical to the defense, law enforcement, diplomacy, or national security in the U.S. provide medical care to currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients provide medical research at facilities to help the U.S. combat COVID-19 are necessary to facilitate the immediate and continued U.S. economic recovery The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has classified workers in the semiconductor supply chain as essential to the effective operation of critical economic activity as the nation addresses the economic fallout of COVID-19. In lieu of rescinding the total ban on visa applications, SEMI urges the Secretaries to incorporate the CISA guidelines for semiconductor supply chain workers as they assess categories for application exceptions. SEMI will continue to advocate for programs and policies that enhance U.S. economic competitiveness, including immigration rules that ensure the U.S. can attract and retain the highest skilled talent from around the world without compromising employment opportunities for U.S. workers. As Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham noted following the issuance of the EO, “Legal immigration is a positive for the American economy, and visa programs allowing American companies to secure qualified, legal labor throughout the world have benefitted economic growth in the United States.”Karl Kailing is manager of Public Policy and Advocacy at SEMI.

As the fight against COVID-19 presses ahead, many healthcare workers, especially those on the front lines, are being pushed to their limits and beyond to ensure our health and safety. To help doctors and nurses combat the virus, SEMI Taiwan mobilized six leading Taiwan semiconductor companies last month to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) designed for industrial operation to medical staff. The gear included powered air purifying respirators (PAPR), half facepiece respirators, head tops, protective coveralls, and air filter canisters.On behalf of the semiconductor industry, SEMI Taiwan worked closely with industry leaders and the government to deploy the direly needed resources to support the domestic medical community. The Taiwan Association of Medical Technologists accepted the donations in the ceremony attended by Taiwan CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang. The largesse is the result of public-private partnership to provide medical supplies to 35 hospitals and medical laboratories across Taiwan. Terry Tsao, Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of SEMI Taiwan, and six Taiwan semiconductor companies stepped up to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. TSMC Charity Foundation responded with PPE giveaways in March in a first wave of protective equipment donations to medical personnel. Before long, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS), ​​​​​​​​​​​Macronix, Micron, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), and 3M Taiwan also answered the call for more medical equipment for COVID-19 frontliners. Extending the Taiwan semiconductor industry’s rich tradition of making charitable contributions in the region, including financial assistance for emergency relief efforts, the companies donated more than 1,000 pieces of PPE after balancing the giveaway with inventory needs in their fabs. Fab workers responsible for machinery, raw materials, and other goods and gear used in semiconductor manufacturing wear the protective devices. One piece of equipment, powered air purifying respirators (PAPR), features a battery-powered that sends filtered air flowing into a hood or head top covering the wearer’s head or face to protect against respiratory hazards. In healthcare, PAPRs protect medical staff as they test blood and tissue samples for traces of COVID-19. Dr. N.S. Tsai, CEO of TSMC Charity Foundation, notes that respiratory protection equipment can offer integrated protection against multiple hazards and is comfortable for medical technologists working long shifts to wear. Medical facilities across Taiwan quickly depleted PPE supplies after the rapid response to the January outbreak by healthcare providers across the region led to quick containment. The PPE donations were critical in minimizing exposure risks to medical staff. The chip industry’s protective clothing and equipment offered another benefit: Medical technologists found the gear – designed to be worn over long periods in semiconductor manufacturing facilities – comfortable as they worked marathon shifts early in the COVID-19 outbreak. “Coronavirus testing requires a much higher level of protection than is needed in many healthcare settings,” said Chuang Jen-hsiang, the Deputy Director for the Taiwanese Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the spokesperson of Taiwan Central Epidemic Command Center. “Medical technologists must work in a poorly ventilated labs for more than eight hours a day, causing sweating and damp heat. The high-performance PPEs provided by the industry help healthcare workers breathe more naturally without wearing a mask while greatly reducing infection risk in hot, humid environments.”For their COVID-19 response, Taiwan’s government and well-trained medical workers drew lessons from the SARS outbreak in 2003 to quickly activate emergency management structures to fend off the emerging threat – one that put the Taiwan semiconductor industry and its round-the-clock operations at risk.“Taiwan’s swift response to the COVID-19 was vital in preserving the business continuity that is the lifeblood of the semiconductor manufacturing,” said Terry Tsao, Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of SEMI Taiwan. “We are honored to do our part to support the heroes of this fight – the medical technologists on the front lines – as an expression of our great respect and gratitude for their extraordinary work.”SEMI Taiwan has long partnered with TSMC Charity Foundation to care for people in need, drive positive environmental and social changes, and support emergency aid in Taiwan. The goal our joint corporate social responsibility efforts is to warm the hearts of our people and build a better society.Irene Huang is a public relations and marketing specialist at SEMI Taiwan.

On Monday, SEMI led a statement from a coalition of industry groups calling on governments worldwide to harmonize their policies to safely allow essential international travel by essential workers. Cross-border mobility in the semiconductor and microelectronics industry is vital to maintaining manufacturing critical to the production of semiconductor devices that are the foundation of our modern economy, countless economic sectors and each nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uniform cross-border travel rules impacting essential businesses in the electronics supply chain are crucial for semiconductor business infrastructure and supply chains to maintain effective operations.To that end, SEMI is urging governments around the world to permit international travel by semiconductor supply chain engineers, technicians and executives with minimal disruption to ensure any fast-tracked procedures apply directly to the semiconductor industry and that any agreements negotiated among countries harmonize global travel procedures and processes. Global supply chains require cross-border travel by key technical personnel and business continuity decision-makers to ensure that essential industry manufacturing and business operations remain efficient, effective and uninterrupted. While the industry continues to implement safety protocols and minimize non-essential travel to stem the spread of COVID-19, highly sophisticated equipment sets and materials usage from multiple nations will at times require specialized expertise that is not present in-country.For example, technicians from a semiconductor manufacturing equipment company typically must travel to semiconductor factories in other countries to install or repair specialized tools in situations that are beyond the expertise of the local field office and too complicated to handle by video conference. Similarly, at times semiconductor-based solutions, such as cloud computing, must be implemented or optimized on-site for the equipment to achieve full capacity. After months of remote access to their overseas operations, it also is critical that executives are able to visit their facilities to evaluate and manage their ongoing operations. In the past month, several countries central to the global electronics supply chain have engaged in both formal and informal talks to ease travel restrictions on personnel from essential industries. China, for example, is negotiating fast-track travel protocols with countries throughout Asia and Europe. On May 1, China and South Korea formalized an agreement that has made significant accommodations for semiconductor industry personnel to travel between the two countries. Last week, China and Singapore reached a similar deal – planned to take effect in early June – prioritizing travel for both executives and technicians.Beyond China, several ad-hoc negotiations are underway involving countries as varied as Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Multilateral discussions are also afoot with the aim of setting up bubble travel zones featuring standard health and travel protocols within the country blocs. As these disparate agreements between individual countries or small blocs of countries take shape, however, they are likely to create divergent standards that may complicate efforts of global businesses to effectively service their operations and customers, even if such travel is and has been deemed essential.In March, when U.S. states and many governments around the world began implementing stay-at-home orders and closing non-essential business operations, SEMI immediately took a lead role advocating to ensure that that the entire microelectronics supply chain was deemed essential and able to continue operations. In the U.S., nearly every state followed SEMI’s recommendation to adhere to the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidelines that included semiconductor manufacturing and its supply chain as essential, or specifically highlighted semiconductor supply chains as essential. Overseas, SEMI advocacy worked to ensure the semiconductor supply chain was deemed essential in every key jurisdiction.The mobility of essential workers is critical to essential business operations in the electronics supply chain. Just as SEMI led the effort to ensure that critical electronics supply chain operations were deemed essential as economies were closing down, SEMI will continue to advocate for uniform essential travel guidelines for critical infrastructure workers as economies reopen. Karl Kailing is manager of Public Policy and Advocacy at SEMI.

In many ways it feels like we’ve turned back the hands of time. We are staying at home, playing board games with the family. Outdoors, we can view mountains not seen in decades – air pollution has dropped nearly 20 percent. Neighbors we haven’t met are out walking, a lot. Traffic is relatively sparse.We’re staying up late, sometimes even getting up early, for calls with all regions. Some of us have temporarily suspended our use of cleanroom masks – but now wear them everywhere we go outside of the house. And through virtual meetings, I see I’m not the only one who let the beard grow. Who would’ve thought we’d be able to so quickly and completely change our habits?Clearly, the usual distractions that fill most of our lives have given way to a temporary pause. We have time to reflect, and perhaps gain even greater perspective. I hope that’s been a good thing for you.Through virtual meetings, we seem to be getting access to people not typically in our circle of influence – both up and down the organizational ladder. This pleasant surprise seems to be helping to create a valuable acceleration in how the industry community interacts and progresses.As a testament to the strategic importance of our industry, the fabs continue to produce. This is due in great part to the standards, technologies and their resulting applications that enable those operations. Many parts of our industry supply chain became officially designated as essential businesses. Whether or not we stayed home from the office, we’ve continued to work on our roadmaps for growth beyond the current lull.Empowered by 50 years of technology legacy, we are again demonstrating the capability to manage disruption through collaboration. This is the signature of our industry’s highly regarded business culture. Among what we have learned is that this pandemic has made all of us more vulnerable in a variety of ways, and in turn has accelerated our unity as an industry community like never before.This month, as I brainstormed with a set of industry execs during one of countless Zoom meetings, it was clear that when they gather, they want more than a repackaged version of everyone else’s usual messages about this unusual year.While this type of year certainly wasn’t what we had in mind when we began to construct ways to mark this 50th year of SEMICON West, we’ve taken the bull by the horns and begun to blaze a new trail. The consensus within the industry is that SEMI’s constant, measured communication is netting an increased, and growing, level of trust among our collective, global group that may serve as one of the silver linings of this irregular year.As a result, we’ll lay a new road with the first – and possibly not the last – Virtual SEMICON West. For this inaugural digital format, we’ve secured a set of visionaries offering both legendary and evolutionary talents alike to reveal what we can expect during the next few years. It’ll be unlike any other such gathering before, and there’ll be something for everyone.Despite the pause in time we’ve experienced during our isolation of these recent weeks, the timeless value of collaboration marches on. I look forward to joining you at Virtual SEMICON West, July 20-23.Dave Anderson is president of SEMI Americas.