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SEMI Standards – Official Virtual Technical Committee Chapter Meetings Underway 

By James Amano, SEMI 

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While the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult, or in some regions, impossible, to gather for face-to-face meetings, Standards development has continued at a rapid pace, with over 500 Task Force and Technical Committee (TC) Chapter meetings held since March. The biggest challenge has been official ballot adjudication, the process of determining whether a ballot should be approved or failed. Adjudication has historically required a face-to-face meeting to review reject votes submitted against a ballot for technical validity and persuasiveness, to ensure industry consensus before approval and publication. While this process has continued, with adjudication transferred to Technical Committee Chapters able to meet in person, the introduction of Official Virtual Technical Committee Chapter Meetings empowers TC Chapters to adjudicate their own ballots. All Program Members will be able to participate and vote in any TC Chapter meeting remotely. 

Development of infrastructure and procedures to effectively implement official committee meetings virtually was already underway, but the pandemic increased the urgency. Through the hard work of the Regulations Subcommittee and SEMI IT staff, Official Virtual Technical Committee Chapter meetings are now a reality. To familiarize members with the new SEMI Virtual Meeting software, all Technical Committee Chapters are required to undergo training meetings, and I’m pleased to announce that this has commenced in all of our Standards regions: China, Europe, Japan, Korea, North America, and Taiwan.  

As of early December, four committees have conducted their initial Official Virtual Meetings: Automated Test Equipment, MEMS/NEMS, Micropatterning, and Metrics, and the ballots approved at these meetings will be published in early 2021. 

While 2020 has been chaotic, I’m pleased that we’ve reached such a major milestone as we close out the year. Official virtual meetings will ensure that development of the Standards critical to the future of the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain will continue, regardless of restrictions on public gatherings. Members will be able to maintain contacts and build new connections, and most importantly, continue progress on their efforts to sustain efficient manufacturing operations across the diverse, interdependent electronics supply chain. 


Get Involved

SEMI Standards development activities take place throughout the year in all major manufacturing regions. To get involved, join the SEMI International Standards Program at: www.semi.org/standardsmembership.

For more information, please visit our main Web site and current events page. If you have any questions regarding SEMI Standards activities, please contact your local SEMI Standards staff. 

 

Standards Watch
SEMI
www.semi.org
December 3, 2020