Future-proofing with Standards
Developing Standards for today and tomorrow – leaders wanted.
By Paul Trio, Director, Standards, SEMI
Whether it’s chasing process optimization or tackling supply chain obstacles or everything else in between, standards help our industry stakeholders chip away at these manufacturing challenges. There is much interest, for example, in equipment data – in particular, access to (or lack thereof) – and how best to use it when improving operational efficiencies. SEMI recently published E196 which outlines how equipment suppliers can provide equipment users with access to data through documentation and best practices. SEMI E196 utilizes the shareable and nonshareable data definitions defined in SEMI E190, Specification for Equipment Data Publication (EDP), to help frame the types of information equipment suppliers should provide. SEMI E190 and E196 are the latest examples of how our members are addressing the need for data standards. Also recently formed is the Digital Twins in Manufacturing Task Force. Chartered under the North America Chapter of the Information & Control Technical Committee, the TF will define and standardize a digital twin framework that supports consistent and scalable implementations.
While several SEMI Standards efforts focus on today’s manufacturing challenges, we continue to keep a close eye on emerging standard's needs. The SEMI Global Standards Summit (GSS) made its North American debut at this year’s SEMICON West in Phoenix, offering a strategic forum for building an industry-wide standardization roadmap for the next three and seven-year benchmarks. This year’s Summit highlighted supply chain traceability topics, as well as continuing the conversations on environmental sustainability which we featured during our inaugural event at SEMICON Japan 2024. GSS2025 concluded with a panel discussion highlighting the fundamental importance of standardization for our industry, standards adoption, incentivizing stakeholders, and how standards can be designed to remain flexible and adaptive as technologies and regulatory landscapes evolve.
Still, there are SEMI Standards efforts that are already working to address the need for safer, sustainable alternatives. For example, carrier density and resistivity measurements of silicon epitaxial layers have traditionally relied on the capacitance-voltage (CV) method using mercury probes (SEMI MF1392). However, environmental regulations such as the Minamata Convention have restricted mercury use, creating an urgent need for safer, sustainable alternatives. The recently published SEMI M95 ushers a mercury-free era of epi layer evaluation.
Our standardization efforts would not be possible without the contributions and leadership of our SEMI Standards members. At both SEMICON West 2025 and SEMICON Europa 2025 events, leaders from across the microelectronics industry were recognized for their impact to our industry via the SEMI Standards Program. We are truly grateful for having such remarkable leaders in the Program.
Nevertheless, there is more work to be done. As complex manufacturing challenges persist or new problems emerge, there is a need for more industry thought leaders to help drive standards development. We invite you to participate and engage in our various SEMI efforts. See you at the meetings!
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Standards Watch
SEMI
www.semi.org
December 8, 2025