Edwards Vacuum

SEMICON Europa, SEMICON West, SEMICON Japan, & SEMICON Taiwan welcome back exhibitors and visitors to show floors starting in mid-November as four of SEMI’s seven flagship events gather visionaries and industry leaders to explore the latest semiconductor trends and innovations by the end of 2021.

The semiconductor industry – recognizing its own fabs can do much more to reduce their carbon footprint – is in a position to help turn the tide on rising temperatures worldwide and more chip companies are launching sustainability initiatives to contribute to the cause.

As we round the corner on 2021, the microelectronics industry continues to face a severe talent crisis. With more than 34,000 jobs remaining unfilled at SEMI member companies in the United States alone, everyone is competing for the same talent pool. While the semiconductor shortage has received extensive media coverage, a critical talent shortage deserves equal attention. One way to address the talent shortage is to hold the line. Meaning, in addition to recruiting more diverse talent into the chip industry, we must retain the quality workforce we have. I believe that a key component of a diversity, equity and inclusion program must be retention. At Edwards, we feel so strongly about this that we have made retention a key part of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program – even changing the acronym to DEIR (pronounced DEER; diversity, equity, inclusion and retention) for emphasis. There are three overarching approaches we can take to promoting diversity-focused retention:Investment in on-boarding practices that allow time to hire appropriately and ensure a diverse pool of qualified candidatesEmbedded programming and policies that are learning and development (L D) based including career planning, succession planning, unconscious bias training, employee resource groups (ERG) and mentoringCorporate culture that respects employees through a healthy work life balance and promotes the well-being of society and the planetThis is a very important conversation. I asked Lubab Sheet-Davis, vice president of Strategy Innovation in the Office of the CTO at Lam Research, and Emerald Greig, executive vice president Americas at SurplusGLOBAL USA, to share their considerable experience and insight related to retention and DEI. Following is an excerpt from our conversation, which has been edited for clarity and brevity.Balaguer: In the context of DEI, why is employee retention so important?Sheet-Davis: In my view, there is a strong correlation between inclusion and retention. If people feel that their voices and perspectives are valued, they are more likely not only to stay, but also to perform at a higher level. Driving both inclusion and retention is having a seat at the table, having your voice heard, respectful treatment and fair opportunity. Retention is a core component of our inclusion and diversity strategy, which involves increasing representation by building a pipeline of diverse candidates, recruiting and retaining, fostering an inclusive culture (which supports retention) and open communication to share our progress.Balaguer: What role does data play in the drive to increase retention?Greig: Ours is a data-driven industry and I am surprised that we have not let the statistics drive us into action sooner. Clearly, diversity, equity, inclusion and retention all affect the bottom line. Millennials and Gen Zs already leave faster than any other generational group. The turnover rate in the tech industry averages around 13% with stays around 2-3 years.The cost to hire, train and integrate someone into a company is far more expensive than having a DEIR program in place to keep them. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reported that, on average, it costs a company 6 to 9 months of an employee's salary to replace them (which includes the costs of hiring, onboarding and training, L D and time to fill the role). For an employee making $60,000 per year, that comes out to $30,000 to $45,000 in recruiting and training costs.Sheet-Davis: Yes, which gives us all the more reason to move quickly! Given how central DEIR is to innovation, and that the challenges and opportunities facing our industry are bigger now than ever before, I believe we should be addressing DEIR with the same vigor that we address Moore’s Law.I worry if we keep saying DEIR will take time, it will take time. Granted many DEIR issues are cultural and culture is hard to change. However, this industry has demonstrated the capability to drive breakthroughs and to do so quickly. Let’s focus on DEIR with urgency while also ensuring the progress is sustainable.Balaguer: There is no doubt we need to move with a sense of urgency. I think a good way to keep the pedal to the metal is to create a DEIR roadmap that tracks our progress on multiple programs and helps us be accountable and stay focused. Meaningful retention strategies begin with solid diversity-focused hiring strategies.Balaguer: How does corporate culture inform retention?Greig: Let’s not forget: Employees, especially millennials, are looking for a corporate culture that demonstrates social responsibility as well as leadership and career development. In a recent study, 65% of employees said positive corporate culture has encouraged them to stay with their company. In fact, companies with strong cultures have seen a four-fold increase in revenue growth.We have raised a generation that strongly believes in being accepting of others and embraces equity and inclusion in their daily lives. They expect their employer to have this as part of their DNA. They believe in science, climate change, recycling, conservation, and similar sustainability issues and they want to know that they are making or doing something that makes the world a better place. If tech companies cannot convince millennials and Gen Z's that the companies are socially responsible and are doing all they can to embrace DEIR as part of their company culture, then the millennials will go elsewhere. Balaguer: How can employee resource groups be a building block for retention?Sheet-Davis: We support employee resource groups that are voluntary, employee-led and coalesce around demographic factors such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or generation. Each has an executive sponsor, budget, plans and leadership structure. ERGs support inclusion by creating a sense of belonging, building comradery, and providing a safe space to raise awareness and help educate the rest of the company through a number of activities such as community service, holiday celebrations, guest speakers, networking, training courses and more. I serve as the executive sponsor of our Women@Fremont group, which is focused on accelerating the advancement of women in their early to mid-career at Lam’s headquarters. I know ERG members genuinely value the company’s support.Balaguer: What can we do during the hiring process to lay a strong foundation for employee retention?Greig: I believe that the work we do at the front end in terms of hiring practices are one of the main reasons we have a low turnover rate at SurplusGLOBAL. We have a policy to have three interviews for each candidate. Not three different people, but bring them in three times. Additionally, we have a 90-day trial and review period to make sure there is a good fit for both parties. Investing time up front ensures the right hire and the small size of our company allows us to know our employees. We can be nimble and quickly respond to employee needs as they arise.Balaguer: In what ways do you think mentoring can help improve retention?Sheet-Davis: Another aspect of building a more inclusive culture, and hence promoting retention, is through mentoring programs. Mentorship supports an employee’s development, growth and career planning. It’s a great way to get to know people, understand their ambitions and support their development. Hopefully, it results in sponsorship because that is what helps drive career advancement. Ultimately, I want to advocate for those that I mentor.Balaguer: At Edwards, we are refreshing mentoring as part of our DEIR program. I see mentoring as a program that can support employee retention in multiple ways including career planning, professional development, succession planning and promoting inclusivity. Encouraging and empowering personal development is key in growing a productive workforce and mentoring does all these things. Often overlooked is the fact that mentoring is a benefit to both the mentor and the mentee. I have personally mentored several young professionals at Edwards, and I can attest that I have learned as much from them as they have from me. Mentoring is definitely a two-way street.Balaguer: What’s your message to our readers about retention as an element of diversity, equity and inclusion?Greig: I am excited to see DEIR and especially, retention, gaining traction. The semiconductor industry has always tended to have a cyclical rhythm to it. A generation of potential employees have grown up witnessing the fallout from periodic down cycles and the inevitable reductions in workforce. I think there is an element of rebranding we need to do in this area to support our retention efforts. Sheet-Davis: If we only focus on recruiting and not retention, we tread water. Consistent with any other successful business strategy, a holistic integrated approach to DEIR that is prioritized, resourced and sustained over time is key. Balaguer: We all agree that retention is a key component in the war for talent. While this conversation has been more wide-ranging than we can share with our readers, the prime takeaways have focused on these elements: Follow the data. Execute with a sense of urgency. Hire right. Work hard on inclusionary programming such as ERGs, mentoring and sponsorship. Build a genuine corporate social responsibility program. Retention will result.Many thanks to Lubab Sheet-Davis and Emerald Greig. As always, comments, questions and suggestions are welcome. We can be reached at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. I invite our readers to join the conversation, as well as review the recently released SEMI Foundation DEI Roadmap and Toolkit.Scott Balaguer is Vice President and General Manager, Semiconductor Division at Edwards Vacuum LLC and Chairman of the SEMI North America Advisory Board.

In 2016, the then-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban-Ki Moon, stated “Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth. These are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women’s empowerment.” The SEMI Talent Forum, 2-3 May, 2019 in Bristol, UK will explore new opportunities and challenges of the digital era and the industry’s need for talent and the knowledge and skills in automation, computerization and digitization to drive tech innovation. Serena Brischetto of SEMI spoke with professor Michael Czerniak, Environmental Solutions Business Development Manager at Edwards, about how digitalization impacts all these key areas and will be instrumental in helping humanity shape the future. SEMI: The preservation of the global environment and the talent shortage are probably two of the most critical challenges confronting the semiconductor industry. What is the Edwards position on these issues? Czerniak: When I started in the industry, climate change was a new concept and scientific investigation was in its infancy. Now it is a well-understood phenomenon and its impacts will only be minimised by the implementation of better technologies, nearly all of which depend on digital technology and a talented workforce to drive new innovation. This is mission-critical not only to Edwards, but also to the digital industry, and indeed our common future.SEMI: Edwards celebrates 100 years of empowering innovative people. How do you help electronics shape the future and advance life standards? What is your secret recipe?Czerniak: Edwards plays a key role in enabling semiconductor manufacturers by making the electronic circuits, also commonly known as chips, on which the Digital Age is built. Our secret recipe is: nothing! We literally have no molecules at all, i.e. vacuum, which enables the intricate processes like plasma chemistry taking place. Those are the processes used to sequentially deposit and remove the thin films that constitute a modern semiconductor device. We also remove harmful and global-warming gas exhausts from these processes to minimise the environmental impact of this amazing industry.SEMI: What is stimulating about semiconductors and could you give us an example of how Edwards is helping remove harmful and global-warming gases?Czerniak: I work in environmental science both at Edwards and also here in Bristol in the School of Chemistry. My least-favorite gas is called CF4. Not only is it thousands of times more impactful as a global warming gas, but also it has an atmospheric lifetime of 50,000 years. Using abatement technology pioneered by Edwards, emissions of this gas into the atmosphere produced by this industry, have been reduced by up to 95%. That’s certainly something to make you feel good about after a day at work!SEMI: Edwards was honored with the SEMI Diversity and Inclusion award and also for the company's 100th anniversary at the Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) Europe in Milan in early April. What is particularly exciting about Edwards?Czerniak: Edwards is and always has been a very inclusive place to work, not least because it is a global company, reflecting the scope and geographical reach of the semiconductor industry as a whole. This provides a great variety of career paths locally at one of our many global manufacturing sites, or on a global scale, as we need to be where our customers are.SEMI: What are your expectations regarding the forum in Bristol, and for the future ahead? What is the status of the semiconductor workforce development scenario in your opinion? What can we do more?Czerniak: My main hope for the Talent Forum in Bristol is that the profile of the semiconductor industry will be raised amongst students considering their future career options to the point where they seriously consider applying for positions in this field. This applies to students from all disciplines as they are all needed to help develop the Digital Age, and more events like this can only help spread the message about the exciting opportunities and challenges available.Michael Czerniak started his professional career in the semiconductor industry with Philips, initially in the company’s UK R+D labs and subsequently in the fab in Nijmegen, Holland. He then held marketing roles at UK-based OEMs Cambridge Instruments, VSW and VG Semicon before joining Edwards 21 years ago. Michael has authored numerous published articles and patents, co-chairs a SEMI standards committee, participates in the IRDS, is a UK PFC expert on IPCC and has authored chapters on Vacuum and Environmental issues in the Semiconductor Manufacturing Handbook. Michael became a Professor in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol in September 2018. Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.

SEMI is excited to recognize Katie Maloney of Edwards Vacuum as the SEMI Spotlight on Women Honoree for Q1 2019!Spotlight on SEMI Women celebrates the many accomplished women who work in the global microelectronics industry. Nominees in the quarterly spotlight include women who are beacons of knowledge, leaders of organizations and initiatives, hidden heroes and innovators in our industry. They are volunteers, protectors, intellectual disruptors and activists. Learn how you can nominate a woman for Spotlight on SEMI Women.With nearly 20 years in the microelectronics industry, Katie Maloney has always been a leader and agent of change. She launched her career pathway as a student at the University of Notre Dame on an ROTC scholarship. Her passion for science and technology led to a degree in aerospace engineering. After graduation, Katie began her military commission in the United States Navy as a Division Officer and Command Training Manager within the Nuclear Engineering school. Katie ultimately decided she wanted to manage people while continuing to focus on technology as a fundamental aspect of her career. Driven by a vision for her future, Katie worked full-time and attended the University of Central Florida, earning a master’s degree in engineering management. Katie’s leadership continued to shine despite her workload, and during Katie’s commission the U.S. Navy recognized her for multiple accomplishments. Most notably Katie was awarded “Instructor of the Year” for her classroom teaching.Katie’s journey at Edwards Vacuum began 10 years ago as a site manager for its largest customer. Through her strong leadership skills, Katie has made a difference at Edwards Vacuum, exemplified the semiconductor industry skill set, and helped customers meet their goals. The Edwards executive management team has recognized Katie’s creative thinking. After her recent promotion to business line manager responsible for a Global Account team, Katie put her ideas and leadership to work by mobilizing her team to drive significant improvements in EUV development, contract management and team building at Edwards. Katie’s military experience shaped her career, a formative influence that inspired her passion early on to support military veterans by helping them transition from military to civilian life. She understands the valuable skillsets veterans bring to the microelectronics industry and she dedicates time to help them understand how their skills can translate into opportunities.Cristina Sandoval is manager of Workforce Development at SEMI.

What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 3 The fast-maturing infrastructure now enabling analysis of exponentially larger data volumes brings the microelectronics industry to an inflection point, where the winning companies will be the first to master the use of this data to solve the industry’s emerging challenges. SEMI expands its coverage of these vital issues with a Smart Manufacturing Pavilion and three days of talks SEMICON West, July 10-12 in San Francisco. While deep learning is starting to be applied to image recognition for wafer inspection, it is also being considered for sequential pattern recognition in order to evaluate equipment parameter traces. The next emerging applications will start to use those learned patterns to predict outcomes, and then use those predictions to automate process control. One early application of deep learning is IC process development. “People don’t think of research and development as the first place to automate, but it’s where applying our digitization and simulation has first had impact,” says David Fried, Coventor vice president of Computational Products. He noted that insertion is easier in the lab than in the fab. Technology at 10nm and beyond is now so complex that companies at the leading edge must use process modeling to understand the effect of process variation on their designs. Learning cycles can now be accelerated during development by simulating 10,000 digital wafers instead of running 25 actual wafers during screening, Fried says. Applying structured analysis and machine learning to the data simplifies optimization across the 500 or more interrelated process steps. Coventor has recently introduced a statistical analysis package that aids the design and analysis of process variation experiments by using large volumes of data from its models. Fried says these models are next being used to accelerate the yield ramp in manufacturing. Digital simulation also could speed development of high-mix, lower value products While digital twins are best known for their use in complex, high value products like jet engines, the simulation technology could also enable the electronic manufacturing services (EMS) sector to reduce the time, cost and risk of developing its high mix of products. “The EMS sector’s use of digital twins will be vital for it to smooth the move of CAD/CAM digital design data for so many different products into manufacturing, and to accelerate validation testing of designs and products by doing more of it in the virtual world,” says Dan Gamota, vice president of Engineering and Technical Services at Jabil. Gamota also highlights the push for traceability from the automotive and healthcare markets, where the digital models could be used to quickly assure that the design was built exactly as specified. “In the past year, traceability has evolved from just ‘nice to have’ to ‘how to achieve,’” he adds. “Companies are expecting it, but aren’t willing to accept the cost and risk of doing it alone. We need the community to discuss realistic implementations, identify the most critical elements and bring together the ecosystem partners to build baseline reference architectures for key digital building blocks. The community also needs to assure the reliable flow of data among the electronic manufacturing segments from semiconductor to OSAT to EMS.” Predictive maintenance and virtual metrology applications could mature in next few years While predictive maintenance initially seemed a likely early application of machine learning in factories, it remains a challenge for the electronics sector. “The difficulty is that it’s not clear where to get the most bang for the buck,” says Tom Ho, president of BISTel America, noting that it may make the most sense to track the failure performance of a single expensive part, like an electrostatic chuck, since predicting the failure performance of a whole complex system like an etcher is much harder. “Collecting enough data from all failure types, including especially the rare events, is difficult unless you have a long history of a lot of tools,” adds Doug Suerich, PEER Group product evangelist. “The gain from collecting performance information from many tools across the industry could be big, but many companies still need to overcome concerns around exposing their IP.” Another big opportunity for prediction is virtual metrology – predicting the wafer outcome from the process or sensor data with enough accuracy to replace the physical metrology. “Virtual metrology is improving, and since metrology can be slow and expensive, any reduction could mean a huge potential savings,” says Suerich. “But it is still seen as too scary for many companies. Two to three years from now, companies will expand the practice from lower risk areas into processes that require more confidence in the results.” Moving beyond prediction to automated control needs digital models Once the results are predicted, the model can be used to control or automatically optimize a process and enable the system to learn by itself, usually by reinforcement learning on a digital model. The model can then independently make adjustments to optimize the manufacturing process. “Automated process development is getting close now. Instead of smart guys turning the knobs, deep learning is automating the smart tuning,” says Suerich, suggesting the industry could see widespread adoption in as little as two to three years. This type of machine learning needs a good digital model, and masses of data for learning. One approach uses human experts to build a physics-based model of the clearly understood parts of the process, then turns to deep machine learning to optimize the lesser-understood variables. The alternative, the data-first approach, runs a computer algorithm to suggest the solution purely from data, without human input, and then relies on the human to evaluate the usefulness of the results. Modeling digital twins of wafers could enable automated process control, chamber matching, and fleet matching, says Fried. If every wafer had its own virtual twin with all the upstream metrology and structural information needed to make equipment control decisions, it could feed forward that information to enable the seamless transition from one step in the process to another based on understanding their complex interrelationships. This could potentially improve uniformity across wafers and equipment, and reduce the need for metrology, he argues. Moving metrology sensors into the chamber will also require model-based algorithms to enable dynamic process control in close to real time, says Fried. These algorithms will be needed to acquire, parse, and process the data at high speed, and then to choose how to adjust the controls. “There will be a model behind collecting and interpreting the metrology data,” he notes. “That’s a really rich vein for improvements in process control.” “The end goal is to collect equipment data in real time, analyze it with AI, and send back controls to optimize manufacturing processes,” Jabil’s Gamota says. “This requires a robust architecture for communication between equipment and consistent formats for data collection and analysis. But the cost and complexity of this heavy lifting is too great for any one company to do alone. We need a consensus-based architecture for ingesting, analyzing and acting on the data.” SEMI tests data transfer protocols, benchmarks best practices SEMI is launching a smart data project to identify the various data transfer protocols needed for inter-company communications. The project will feature a proof-of-concept model in a development fab to produce verifiable results so SEMI can better understand how different approaches meet member needs. SEMI’s smart manufacturing technology communities and the Fab Owners Alliance are also benchmarking current smart manufacturing practices in the microelectronics industry to help SEMI members better understand the path forward and potential return on investment. Speakers over all three days at SEMICON West addressing these issues include Active Layer Parametrics, Applied Materials, Applied Research Photonics, ASML, Bosch Rexroth, Cimetrix, Coventor, ECI Technologies, Edwards Vacuum, Final Phase Systems, GE Digital, Infineon, Jabil, Lam Research, Osaro, Otosense, PEER Group, Qualcomm, Rockwell Automation, Rudolph Technologies, Schneider Electric, Seagate, Siemens, Stanford University, TEL, TIBCO Software. See semiconwest.org. What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 1 What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 2 Paula Doe, SEMI

What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 2The fast-maturing infrastructure now enabling applications for big data and artificial intelligence means disruptive change not just at individual companies but also in data connections among companies across the microelectronics manufacturing value chain. SEMI checked in with some leading players on the changes they see coming in the next several years for this article series. The trade group is expanding its programming on smart manufacturing to address these industry-wide developments at SEMICON West, July 10-12 in San Francisco.“The ramp of EUV, and the smaller geometries and smaller process margins, will drive an exponential increase in the amount of metrology data to manage,” says Neal Callan, ASML vice president, Silicon Valley. Callan notes that moving to multibeam e-beam inspection will increase data volume from megabytes per second to gigabytes per second and from thousands of data points to millions of data points. “The process is so tight and the margin so small that stochastic variation, or noise, becomes more dominant – at least it’s noise until we can learn to understand and control it. And understanding and controlling this variation will be key to delivering 5nm patterning,” he says.Single-beam e-beam inspection is already driving large increases in data as engineers extend the slow technology to broad, high-speed defect metrology applications by more intelligently instructing the system where to look for problems. Callan says ASML is now using the scanner data on wafer focus, alignment and leveling. The company is also using the computational lithography model from the design to identify the smallest process windows in the pattern that are most likely to see problems. The model then quantifies the number and significance of those instances.“The collection of all this diverse data means that tools will need to be plug-and-play so all tool data is instantly available to all systems and software,” says Doug Suerich, PEER Group product evangelist. “We need tools that can be discovered automatically by the network so it can start slurping up data immediately. The adoption of the Interface A (EDA) standard is accelerating and fabs are starting to ask for it. The proliferation of sensors also needs to self-discover. If you are going to add thousands of new sensors into a facility, you can’t afford a time-consuming integration process.”“We are now seeing that engineers are greedy for more data – if they can get the data, it’s becoming a need-to-have,” adds Tom Ho, BISTel America president. “Getting more data from more sensors, from the sensors on the tool that are not being fully utilized, and from untapped data sources like vibration is another big coming opportunity.” Process complexity drives demand for feed-forward between silos with computational models ASML co-optimizes its scanner process with etch and reticle process steps. Source: ASML In addition to the drive for trace-back of data, the increasing complexity of interrelated processes is also driving demand for feed-forward of data. “Feed-forward is becoming more important,” notes Ho. He points to the example of 3D NAND features, now getting so deep that identifying the layer being measured is a challenge unless the signal at the step before can be recognized. “We need partnerships with our peers to understand how to take advantage of the sensors they use, integrate them with our data, and then feed-forward corrections to the other systems,” concurs Callan. “To drive the best CD uniformity and overlay, we need to co-optimize litho and etch,” agrees Henk Niesing, ASML director of product management. He notes that the company is working with etcher makers to measure the overlay and CD, decompose the finger prints, and then use models to steer automated control that best adjusts both the scanner and the etcher. ASML is also working with Zeiss on co-optimization between the scanner and the reticle to make even higher-order corrections by locally modifying the reticle.These higher-order corrections, applied on each exposed field, drive the need for even more data, and at higher speed but without higher cost, notes Jan Mulkens, ASML senior fellow. These corrections increase demand for computational metrology, which combines various metrology sources with physics and deep learning models trained on real data to predict and control process results in real time. “We’re working on computational metrology to ideally use all the knobs we have in the fab,” he says. So far this effort has largely involved linking data between two companies. More consistent data formats would enable data exchange to be extended to more companies. “The software versions also need to be managed for upgrades so they still match after one party updates the system on its tool,” notes Niesing. Speakers on these issues of smart manufacturing and data handling at SEMICON West include Active Layer Parametrics, Applied Materials, Applied Research Photonics, ASML, Cimetrix, Coventor, ECI Technologies, Edwards Vacuum, Final Phase Systems, GE Digital, Infineon, Jabil, Lam Research, Osaro, Otosense, PEER Group, Rockwell Automation, Rudolph Technologies, Schneider Electric, Seagate, Seimens, Stanford University, TEL, TIBCO Software. See semiconwest.org.What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 1What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 3Paul Doe, SEMI

What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 1The fast-maturing infrastructure now enabling applications for big data and artificial intelligence means disruptive change not just at individual companies but also in data connections among companies across the microelectronics manufacturing value chain. SEMI expands its smart manufacturing program with a Smart Manufacturing Pavilion with displays and three full days of talks to address these industry-wide developments at SEMICON West, July 10-12 in San Francisco.Autonomous autos’ demand for zero-defect systems and 100 percent traceability back to the manufacturing data for each die is driving a push to traceability across the chip sector. “Far more chips are being used by the automotive sector, and its very different requirements are driving demand for traceability,” says Tom Ho, president of BISTel America. “Our chipmaker customers are looking for traceability solutions and the trend is the same in backend packaging and assembly – automotive applications are driving the sector to traceability.”Traceability is also driven by the growth of systems in a package as fabless chipmakers look to connect back to the packaging companies’ fault analysis labs and die interconnect history to diagnose and fix the cases where known-good die are failing in the system, adds Mike Plisinski, CEO of Rudolph Technologies. Plisinski adds that makers of consumer products like phones that can also see harsh conditions are demanding higher quality and traceability as well. The electronic manufacturing services (EMS) sector also must establish an architecture for traceability to collect critical manufacturing-related data and to interface with OSATs and semiconductor fabs. The reason is that EMS companies are adding traditional OSAT processes such as assembly of products with bare die and complex optics modules requiring clean rooms. “A unified sand-to-smart-phone smart manufacturing roadmap should be established,” says Dan Gamota, vice president of Engineering and Technology Services at Jabil. “We need to identify protocols for manufacturing data communications that can be adopted across the supply chain.”To enable smart manufacturing, vendors need to collaborate on getting their production equipment to interoperate and support factory analytics and data management systems. Source: SEMI One big challenge, of course, is how to format this diverse data so it can be linked and used by various supply chain stakeholders. “Smart data needs to be contextual and it needs data standards across the supply chain so it’s easy to link from the front end to the back end, follow common lot IDs front and back end, and have a way to map streaming data from sensors to a discrete lot ID,” notes Ho. New approaches to metrology, analysis and test that increasingly exploit machine learning on simulations will also be needed to help predict which die and connections that test well now may fail in the future as conditions change.Another issue is how to securely share the needed data across companies without jeopardizing IP. “On the equipment side we collect data across customers on how the tool is running to improve the equipment,” notes Neal Callan, ASML VP Silicon Valley. “Next we need to integrate performance and reliability data that today is not as well shared.”The other big hurdle is how to pay for data sharing. “The challenge is that the final manufacturers reap the benefit of traceability, but since they expect their suppliers to deliver good die, they don’t want to pay more for it,” notes Plisinski. He suggests that over the next two to three years, traceability and predictive fault prevention will become the norm as the automotive sector is compelled to invest in it to assure safety. Meanwhile, fabless companies will face so much complexity in integrating different die from different suppliers in SiP that they will no longer be able to afford to simply use the cheapest supplier, potentially driving a fundamental shift in relations and division of labor among fabless chipmakers, OSATs and fabs. Standards extend across supply chainSEMI member committees are collaborating to build the infrastructure to enable these developments. Standards committees are updating standards for higher bandwidth data exchange and extending semiconductor-like vertical and two-way horizontal equipment communication standards to flow shops to enable assembly players to optimize and trace back results across players. The SMT/PCBA community is integrating its smart manufacturing work into SEMI standards, and the SEMI A1 standard was a key reference document in the development of the Japan Robotics Association’s Equipment Link Protocol.Speakers addressing these issues at SEMICON West include Active Layer Parametrics, Applied Materials, Applied Research Photonics, ASML, Bosch Rexroth, Cimetrix, Coventor, ECI Technologies, Edwards Vacuum, Final Phase Systems, GE Digital, Infineon, Jabil, Lam Research, Osaro, Otosense, PEER Group, Qualcomm, Rockwell Automation, Rudolph Technologies, Schneider Electric, Seagate, Siemens, Stanford University, TEL, TIBCO Software. See semiconwest.org.What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 2What’s next for smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing - Part 3Paula Doe, SEMI