semiconductor supply chain

The increasing complexity of IC manufacturing poses a number of challenges including the mask data preparation required to enable technology improvements such as multi-beam (MB) mask writers and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Thiago Figueiro, VP of Sales & Marketing of Aselta weighs in.

On February 4, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act by a vote of 222-210. The bill was introduced on January 25 as the House companion to the Senate’s USICA.

In Jan, SEMI published SEMI E187, a specification designed to help protect semiconductor manufacturing data. The publication marks the first time that SEMI Taiwan has led the development of an international standard and reflects the vital need for cybersecurity in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry.

For the semiconductor industry to flourish, all chip ecosystems must embrace closer ties, greater openness, and more flexibility to co-innovate solutions in today’s rapidly unfolding global digital transformation.

More than 4,000 participants convened in person at the four-day SEMICON Europa Expo in Munich, November 16-19. Attendees gathered at the Executive Forum for insights into the latest trends in the semiconductor industry and heartily welcomed the long-awaited return to in-person networking.

The Executive Forum at SEMICON Europa in Munich on November 16 was a welcome opportunity to demonstrate the strategic importance of our vital industry.Executives across the entire electronics and applications value chain rightly pointed out the contribution that the semiconductor supply chain made to supporting the efforts to control COVID-19, which sparked explosive demand for semiconductors and led to the chip shortage and supply chain disruptions. The pandemic has heightened the urgency to establish the manufacturing capacity needed to support the global recovery and onward rapid growth of the semiconductor industry, which is projected to exceed $1.2 trillion in revenue by 2030.Semiconductors are the heartbeat of the way we work and live, and their vital importance is now recognized by governments worldwide including European Commission officials, as well as by the wider population.So far, so good. However the rapid industry growth brings opportunities and challenges. If we continue on the path we are now on, there will simply not be enough energy in the world to feed our data appetite in the so-called 5th wave of digital expansion. Many speakers at SEMICON Europa referred to the importance of sustainability and diverse skills, and many companies have put in place comprehensive programmes that will enable industry growth and lead toward net zero carbon emissions. The semiconductor industry is central to efforts to control climate change. Collaboration and cooperation across the European microelectronics ecosystem are essential.Europe is a world leader, and many stunning advances in technology have resulted from many collaborative projects, large and small, over the years. Many of the executives at SEMICON Europa stressed that these efforts must continue, and indeed be expanded, across the entire electronics and applications value chain. However, the focus remains on ever more capable technologies to match the needs of the digital age: data management, communications, computing capability and improving important application areas such as healthcare.(Clockwise) Laith Altimime, president of SEMI Europe; Luc Van den hove, president and CEO of imec; and Lars Reger, Executive VP and CTO of NXP Semiconductors present at SEMICON Europa 2021. But where are the programmes to drastically reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, eliminating the use of scarce resources and acting as a catalyst to keep 1.5 alive? SEMI is doing its part by establishing a sustainability initiative. To help the industry building the talent pipeline crucial to its future growth, SEMI has also developed workforce diversity programs. Both initiatives are bringing together leaders from across the semiconductor supply chain to address these critical challenges. These changes require major disruptions. Time and again, our industry has demonstrated that it can overcome tremendous challenge.Of course, many chip companies are already devoting significant time and effort to help meet the moment, and projects are underway across our industry focused on these great causes. Yet, we can’t rely on individual efforts to fix these global problems. Our industry, with so much capability and history of rapid innovation, needs to take the lead in changing the way we meet these industrial and social imperatives.Contact [email protected] to learn more about the SEMI Environmental, Health, Safety Sustainability initiative and help the semiconductor industry take action today.Learn more about SEMI Diversity and Workforce Development initiatives.Peter Connock is Chair of SEMI Europe Industry Strategy Symposium Committee and Chairman of memsstar Limited.Serena Brischetto is senior manager of Marketing and Digital Engagement at SEMI Europe.

In this episode of the SEMICON West 2021 Hybrid podcast series from 3D InCites, James Gellert, Chairman and CEO of RapidRatings- a financial health, data, and analytics company based in New York City- speaks about his keynote talk titled The Second Wave: Risk in Part Two of the Supply Chain Crisis.

Semiconductor device manufacturers are focusing on new sensing technologies that can increase wafer throughput, reduce downtime, boost yields and drive other production efficiencies by collecting data that provides insights not previously identified.

Demand for hi-tech manufactured goods is at an all-time high and is expected to grow significantly in our new digital age, COVID-19 economy. This is especially true for semiconductor chips. Chip manufacturers have been working to meet this demand by building new factories and by optimizing processes and equipment in existing fabs. While there is much media coverage about new factories planned by leading-edge chipmakers and government investments in the semiconductor sector, greenfield fabs entail significant capital expenditures and are sometimes fraught with complex political concerns. As a result, they can take several years to complete and reach their planned production capacity. Instead, the semiconductor industry needs to optimize existing factories in order to increase productivity and yield and meet growing demand by implementing smart manufacturing solutions. Smart manufacturing solutions will inherently reduce costs with more efficient and automated processes, and those savings can be reinvested for the next wave of solutions. Chip Industry on the Bleeding Edge Semiconductor manufacturers have always been focused on bleeding-edge technology to outflank strong competition and build the best products – faster and cheaper. Today, pioneering organizations are using data to optimize manufacturing processes and equipment, a practice known as Smart Manufacturing. While there are many definitions of Smart Manufacturing, the essence is maximizing the utility of big data generated in these factories by leveraging three pillars: Sensing, Connecting, and Predicting. It is not just the digitization in manufacturing, but it is also about turning the data into actions that generate value – an effort the SEMI Smart Manufacturing Committee is driving based on the three pillars. Optimizing return on investment is the ultimate goal. SEMI Smart Manufacturing Initiative activity is based on three pillars that support the goal of increasing ROI. Making the Right Decision, Faster Smart manufacturing practices enable organizations to make the right decisions and take action faster based on insights generated from real-time and historical data. This requires data management technologies and applications that can process, analyze, and act on information instantly. It has become ever more difficult to process and discern the relevant data or signal from the vast volume of data, perform analytics or develop new ML or AI analytic tools, and then make the critical decisions to solve problems as close to real-time as possible. Who’s Responsible – IT or OT? In the past IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operations Technology) were separate entities within organizations, with IT focused on storing large amounts of data for enterprise systems and OT concentrated on using data to perform specific functions. Smart Manufacturing often demands combining IT and OT, difficult in rigid organizations that operate the two organizations independently and lack the infrastructure to implement comprehensive solutions. Success requires executive leadership sponsorship, motivated technical personnel and, most importantly, a clear deliverable on the value in implementing Smart Manufacturing. Many organizations have introduced top-level leadership positions such as a Chief Information Officer or Chief Data and Analytics Officer to address this convergence and many of these leaders are embracing Smart Manufacturing practices. The SEMI Smart Manufacturing community includes many of these leaders and therefore has highlighted the importance in the return on investment for Smart Manufacturing solutions. Read more about IT and OT convergence and note that Smart Manufacturing is synonymous with Industry 4.0. The SEMI Smart Manufacturing Initiative covers the entire supply chain. Get Smart in Smart Manufacturing While new technologies and applications are being created to deal with mountains of data, it is the underlying methodologies and practices that are key to a successful Smart Manufacturing deployment. SEMI, the trade association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, is in a perfect position to evangelize Smart Manufacturing experiences and best practices for the entire manufacturing community. The more than 30 member companies participating in the SEMI Smart Manufacturing Initiative bring more than 500 years of collective experience and knowledge to the topic. Many segments of the supply chain participate in the SEMI Smart Manufacturing Initiative including packaging, assembly, SMT and PCB assembly, test, software, data management, sensor and material suppliers. Learn How to Manufacture Smarter SEMI SMART Manufacturing is hosting two great conferences in the coming months – the Global Smart Manufacturing Conference (GSMC) and the SEMICON West Smart Manufacturing Pavilion. As a leader of the organizing committee and chair for the SEMICON West Smart Manufacturing Pavilion, I encourage people who want to learn how to implement Smart Manufacturing or expand their knowledge of Smart Manufacturing to attend these events. The GSMC will feature keynotes highlighting the value of Smart Manufacturing, offer tutorials on the three pillars, and introduce several case studies for each of the pillars. Thirty-two organizations – ranging from global cloud providers, semiconductor factory operators, leading equipment vendors and software application solution companies – will present. See the full agenda here. The SEMICON West Smart Manufacturing Pavilion will compliment GSMC by showcasing a number of use cases that highlight the value of Smart Manufacturing. Panel discussions will deep dive into the challenges of implementing these best practices and the direction smart manufacturing is taking in the coming years. Our goal for these events is for you to take this knowledge back to your companies, implement and improve on the detailed solutions highlighted at the conferences, and return next year to share your success stories with the community. See you soon, in person or virtually! About the Author Bill Pierson is VP of Semiconductors and Manufacturing at KX, leading the growth of streaming data analytics in this vertical. Bill is also a chair for the SEMICON West Smart Manufacturing Conference and an active team member of the SEMI Americas Chapter. He has extensive experience in the semiconductor industry including previous experiences at Samsung, ASML and KLA. Bill specializes in applications, analytics, and control. He lives in Austin, Texas, and when not at work can be found on the rock-climbing cliffs or at his son’s soccer matches.

Terry Tsao, Global Chief Marketing Officer at SEMI and President of SEMI Taiwan, recently discussed technology trends with Young Liu, Chairman of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), as a prelude to SEMICON Taiwan’s five online forums.