SEMI Standards Drive Chip Manufacturing Sustainability
By James Amano, SEMI
Historically, environmental sustainability has taken a back seat to process efficiency in semiconductor manufacturing. That’s changing as the impact of climate change grows and the chip industry faces increasing pressure to reduce energy consumption in an effort to both drive down costs and shrink its environmental footprint. And the industry is answering the call, supported by multiple initiatives underway in the SEMI Standards Program.
Easy access to water to sustain semiconductor manufacturing facilities is no longer a given, particularly in Taiwan and the United States, home to large and growing fabs. A primary challenge for the semiconductor industry will be to develop consistent and reliable water conservation practices and solutions while continuing its push to increase factory efficiency. Two recently published SEMI Standards will contribute to the solution, providing high-level recommendations for water management and conservation – SEMI F116, Guide for Drain Segregation for Semiconductor Manufacturing Tools to Support Site Water Reuse, along with an update to SEMI F98, Guide for Treatment of Reuse Water in Semiconductor Processing. Designed to be implemented during the planning of new and upgraded water systems, these two standards promise to streamline decision-making and help facilities meet operations and construction challenges.
SEMI S23, Guide for Conservation of Energy, Utilities and Materials Used by Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, initially published in 2005, provides guidance for the efficient use of energy, utilities, and materials for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Semiconductor fabrication equipment generates significant amount of heat, and water is generally used for cooling, with heated water removed through a heat exchanger by refrigeration and pumped back to the facility for reuse. A recent update to S23 introduces the tower-cooled cooling water (PCW-T) process that removes heat while eliminating the use of a refrigeration system to minimize energy consumption and reducing utility costs.
Reducing the power consumption of process tools is also a concern. As I’ve written before, Standards developed by the Energy Saving Equipment Communications (ESEC) Task Force (SEMI E167 - Specification for Equipment Energy Saving Mode Communications and SEMI E175 - Specification for Subsystem Energy Saving Mode Communication) can help fabs save energy and reduce gas/utility costs when tools are not processing without compromising subsequent wafer processing efficiency. To increase adoption of E167 and E175, the ESEC Task Force is gathering input from fabs around the globe and will be incorporating these recommendations into future updates.
These and other efforts are starting to pay off. Several of the most prominent SEMI member companies have been scored by the Carbon Disclosure Project as “highest in leadership” after demonstrating the strongest commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their operations and supply chains. What’s more, SEMI members companies are included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which tracks the world’s leading businesses based on economic, environmental, and social criteria.
I sincerely thank all SEMI members for their considerable efforts and applaud their commitment to environmental sustainability.
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
September 2, 2021