GAAC

Silicon carbide (SiC), with its wide band gap and high thermal conductivity, is increasingly favored for semiconductor power applications across several fast-growing industries. Its ability to operate at higher voltages and frequencies enables significant efficiency gains, particularly in e-mobility, where SiC offers key advantages in size, weight, and speed compared to traditional silicon-based power devices.However, as promising as SiC is, the industry still faces critical challenges in scaling to meet growing demand. Key barriers include cost, reliability, and manufacturing capacity, all of which must be addressed for SiC to fully mature.SEMI spoke with Entegris Senior Director - Advanced Technology Engagements, Office of the CTO Mark Puttock, Ph.D., to discuss the challenges of scaling SiC power chip manufacturing from a material supplier’s perspective. Puttock shared insights ahead of his presentation at the Entegris session, Cultivating a Thriving SiC Market: Tackling Key Challenges Across the Value Chain, taking place on November 14, 2024, at SEMICON Europa in Munich, Germany. Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with experts from Entegris and other industry leaders. Registration is now open. SEMI: Global megatrends like environmental crises and AI drive the necessity for SiC power semiconductors. What is the current status? Puttock: The increasing demand for efficient power electronics — fueled by global megatrends such as vehicle electrification, environmental de-carbonization, and the rise of power-hungry AI chips — drives the necessity of wide bandgap semiconductors. SiC offers advantages of weight, size, and speed over traditional silicon (Si) solutions, which are particularly vital in automotive applications 600V and above. However, SiC chip manufacturing has not reached the maturity of silicon-based processing. Greater maturity will help reduce costs, which will accelerate adoption in the market.SEMI: What are the main challenges in scaling SiC?Puttock: Challenges in scaling SiC power chip manufacturing to high volumes are not surprising. That’s because high volume producers have not been operating long enough to resolve early-stage issues. From a material perspective, SiC is more challenging to manage compared to Si. The challenges we identify include:Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP): SiC is nearly as hard as diamond and significantly harder than Si, making it challenging to achieve a high removal rate while maintaining both planarity and low defectivity. This step is crucial toward the end of the wafering process and before the epitaxial growth of device layers.Handling: SiC is more brittle than Si, making it more susceptible to damage or breakage.Implantation: SiC is more difficult to implant than Si, requiring higher temperatures and the use of aluminum instead of boron as a P-type implant species. Additionally, it is a significant challenge to achieve a reliable aluminum source with a long and stable lifetime.Thermal Processing for Wafer Growth and Epitaxy Processes: SiC processes run hotter than Si ( 2000° C for wafering, 1500° C for epitaxial growth), demanding resilient chamber parts to achieve good lifetimes.Sustainability: Because SiC is extremely hard, the CMP process requires significant amounts of slurry. Improving slurry recycling and wastewater management continues to be a challenge.On October 29, we will address these issues in our webinar, “Challenges in Scaling SiC Power Chip Manufacturing: A Material Supplier's Perspective” This session will provide valuable insights and considerations for advancing maturity in high-volume SiC power chip manufacturing. SEMI: Can you elaborate on the challenges associated with CMP for SiC wafers? Puttock: SiC wafers are challenging to process, requiring specialized materials and methods compared to traditional silicon. Defects in the SiC wafer crystal during non-optimized CMP processing can propagate into the device epitaxial layers. This leads to yield loss, increased electrical resistance, reduced performance, and wasted power.SiC wafers must be cut, ground, lapped, and polished to create the necessary surface properties before depositing active layers. As the demand for these devices grows, optimizing the CMP process is essential to ensure the desired surface quality and planarity required for device fabrication. For a deeper understanding of these challenges, we recommend downloading our latest white paper, “Solving CMP Challenges in High-Volume SiC Production,” which covers:Achieving maximum smoothness with high removal ratesReducing the total cost of ownership Optimizing CMP slurry and pads for the unique wafer chemistry and topology of SiC wafersSEMI: What do you mean by optimizing slurry for SiC CMP?Puttock: CMP slurry typically consists of abrasive nanoparticle powder dispersed in a chemically reactive solution. The objective is to achieve a smooth, defect-free surface (less than 1 A Ra) with a high removal rate (greater than 7 µm/m).Traditionally, achieving high removal rates and smooth surfaces required two separate slurries. This approach sometimes forced SiC wafer manufacturers to choose a defect-free surface over a faster, more efficient CMP process, depending on their fab capabilities. Today, optimization allows SiC wafer manufacturers to achieve both high polishing capacity and good final surface quality using a single slurry.Additionally, while the slurry is the most critical part of the CMP process, the pad must be compatible with the application. This ensures the desired planarity while also preventing scratches or contamination of the SiC wafer surface. Research shows that optimized thermoplastic polyurethane CMP pads outperform traditional thermoset polyurethane pads. The optimized pads minimize surface damage and enhance removal rates due to their bulk hardness.SEMI: What are the future challenges for SiC devices? Puttock: SiC devices are increasingly favored for their superior energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. However, the SiC manufacturing process presents challenges due to its high-temperature operations, which consumes significant amounts of energy and shortens the lifespan of chamber components. To address this, improving efficiency in these processes will be crucial in the coming years.Recycling is another important challenge. For example, CMP slurries present an opportunity for water recycling and conservation. At Entegris, we are committed to this issue and are actively collaborating with key industry players to enhance material circularity and prioritize sustainability in our new product development.SEMI: How is Entegris contributing to advancements in SiC technology, and what initiatives or partnerships do you have planned for the near future? Puttock: Entegris is an active member of the SEMI Global Automotive Advisory Council (GAAC) and participates in a working group focused on SiC with key industry leaders such as Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche Consulting, onsemi, Infineon, STMicroelectronics, and others. Our engagement spans the entire semiconductor supply chain, collaborating with integrated device manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers in fabs worldwide. Additionally, we recently announced our latest long-term agreement with onsemi, which underscores our commitment to advancing SiC technology.SEMI: What are your expectations regarding your participation at SEMICON Europa? Puttock: SEMICON Europa is a unique platform to connect with the semiconductor and automotive ecosystems. Last year, we organized a highly successful SiC session in collaboration with SEMI at both SEMICON West and SEMICON Europa, focusing on “Connecting the Automotive Ecosystem Towards More Mature SiC Manufacturing.”This year, we will continue the discussion with industry leaders during our session, “Cultivating a Thriving SiC Market: Tackling Key Challenges Across the Value Chain.” Our goal is to provide insights and propose solutions that will enable SiC power chips to achieve their anticipated role in future technology ecosystems.We will present alongside Porsche Consulting, and the talks will be followed by a panel discussion that will explore the current state and future prospects of SiC technology in power electronics. We invite visitors to join us at the Executive Forum on Thursday, November 14, from 1:40 – 3:00 p.m. and to visit us at Silicon Saxony booth 219 in Hall C1.About Mark PuttockMark Puttock, Ph.D., is the senior director of advanced technology engagements in the office of the CTO at Entegris. He has worked in the semiconductor industry for over 30 years with a background in physics and plasma processing. As a team member of the Entegris CTO office since 2014, Mark has followed technology trends and collaborated with Entegris’ global product development teams to develop timely and differentiated new materials, chemistries, and components for all the world’s semiconductor manufacturers. Maria Daniela Perez is Communications Manager at SEMI Europe.

Call it a wild guess, but I suspect I am not the only follower of the automotive industry who is tired of reading articles that lament the impact of Covid-19 and speculate, to varying degrees of accuracy, what kind of recovery is in store for major automotive markets around the world.I’m much more interested in what solutions and creative approaches people, companies, and countries have come up with to make cars smarter and safer despite the pandemic or even because of it.A friend of mine who works at a major European vehicle OEM told me that “innovation cannot, must not stop – despite current difficulties.” This sentiment echoes through the automotive supply chain, particularly in the resilience of the semiconductor industry during these challenging times.The recent publication of the AspenCore Guide to Sensors in Automotive – Making Cars See and Think Ahead is a refreshingly positive and inspiring collection of articles, interviews, technology deep dives and business news, all carefully curated and edited by AspenCore Global Editor-in-Chief Junko Yoshida.One article I particularly enjoyed was her “6 Trends on ‘Perception’ for ADAS/AV.” The insights she was able to gather from experts attending the AutoSens show in Brussels are fascinating, even if consensus on what, exactly, will be the winning “robust perception” solution appears to be far off. This is only fitting with so many companies elbowing for that prime spot!Another feature article that stood out was Nitin Dahad’s “Level 5 AVs Unlikely Before 2035” article. It wasn’t so much the longer ramp to full autonomy that caught my eye but the daunting challenge the automotive industry and AVs have to tackle: “…all possible unusual driving situations under all driving conditions and in all environments.” This is truly a mind-boggling undertaking. The author argues that the road to Level 5 “is likely to be paved gradually, as more advanced driver-assistance features come to market.” Sounds reasonable.Both these articles point to the need for collaboration across the automotive electronics supply chain in order to not only sustain the pace of innovation, but accelerate it, as we face our current challenges. This made me think about the SEMI Smart Mobility initiative and how the great minds supporting it might be able to help. The initiative is designed to bring together automotive OEMs, Tier 1s, device makers, design houses, equipment and materials companies as well as R D institutes to address shared challenges and opportunities.SEMI used to stand for Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, but over the past several years – and driven by the advent of IoT, AI, and everything “smart” – we now represent the entire electronics manufacturing and design ecosystem, with more than 2,400 member companies on our global roster. We created the Smart Mobility initiative in late 2017 with the initial goal of connecting a substantial number of members to new business opportunities involving rapidly rising silicon content in automotive. IHS Markit projects automotive semiconductor revenue to continue to grow at a 6% CAGR to 2026.Over the past 2 ½ years, the initiative has quickly evolved into a global platform connecting the semiconductor, sensor and automotive electronics ecosystem under one roof – the Global Automotive Advisory Council or GAAC. While “silicon content” is still the operative word for many of our core members, the Council’s mission is to address opportunities and challenges that impact more than one segment of the value chain. For example, the challenge of getting to zero defects involves just about every stakeholder – from contamination control in wafer carriers to ensuring device reliability and robustness to packaging and, ultimately, system integration in the car.SEMI also encompasses a number of Technology Communities that provide deep technical expertise in support of the GAAC’s mission. Member companies in our MEMS Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are directly engaged in and contributing to the GAAC work. GAAC Europe Chapter - Participating Companies“Sensorizing” – making things smarter through the application of sensors – has created solutions for the automotive and mobility space that bring innovation, safety, security and comfort to driver and passenger and that benefit the environment around the car.This makes the AspenCore Guide to Sensors in Automotive a great resource for our members and SEMI staff as we collaborate to accelerate the drive toward Level 5 autonomy.If you are interested in learning more about SEMI’s Smart Mobility and the GAAC, please contact Bettina Weiss, Chief of Staff and Global Smart Mobility Lead at [email protected] with permission from EE Times.

In the future, electronics-related gear including advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) will account for a whopping 50 percent of automotive costs. More importantly, with more control of vehicles shifting to automation, the margin of error in component performance and reliability will become vanishingly small as zero defects become the new safety standard.SEMI spoke with Antoine Amade, Senior Regional Director EMEA, Entegris about zero defects as a new collaborative approach necessary to shape the car of the future and the automotive industry.SEMI: The next generation of automobiles will be more electric, autonomous and connected. What is the most pressing next step for automotive players to pursue this goal? Amade: The automotive ecosystem faces many challenges. For example, when cars become autonomous, their interaction with the cloud and the massive amount of data computed simultaneously could be vulnerable to cyberattacks capable of seizing control of the vehicle.Another example is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as there is a big opportunity to explore and define the right architecture while also meeting automotive quality requirements. The quality challenge will be amplified by advanced nodes. Reliability is also critical since 90 percent of device failures are extrinsic, or unrelated to device design. Today, the top priority should be to eliminate latent defects, those that remain undetected until the product is in use. These latent defects may appear at some future point in the life of vehicle – 1 month, 1 year, 10 years, etc. This is the vital focus of the carmaker and the supply chain.SEMI: With in-line metrology tools reaching their detection limits, how will the industry reduce latent defects? Amade: Minimizing latent defects is now a top priority in semiconductor fabs. However, there is a gap between visible and non-visible defects. Although fabs can detect small defects, human intervention is still needed to manage them. We are witnessing a fundamental shift in the contamination control strategy in auto chip production, from contamination control for yield to contamination control for reliability. The shift is born of the recognition that all particles, regardless of size, and parts per trillion (ppt) concentration levels of contaminants matter, impact both defectivity and reliability. Contamination management will play a key role in enabling the industry to reach parts per billion (ppb) failure rates at the component level. SEMI: How will the industry reach the goal of zero defects? Amade: A sound contamination management strategy that follows three main axes of actions will be one key to reaching zero defects: the ambient air in the fab, the wafer’s environment over its lifetime, and the integrity of the materials in the clean chemical delivery pathway.Contamination management in each of these three areas presents opportunities to limit process variability. The first step in limiting variation is detecting it, which can be difficult when the contaminants causing the variation are hard to identify or caused by an unexpected event. When a contaminant signature can be detected, it leaves clues to its root cause. Careful scrutiny of these signatures can inform a contamination control strategy to eliminate the root cause and reduce overall defectivity.SEMI: What collaborative engagement model do you see as the best for reaching zero defects? Amade: Entegris sees the SEMI Global Advisory Automotive Council (GAAC) as the perfect collaboration platform for the entire automotive semiconductor ecosystem, from car manufacturers to material suppliers. Entegris is also a member of the Platform for Automotive Semiconductor Requirement Across the Supply Chain (PASRASC). Both forums help raise the visibility of key challenges and potential solutions.Collaboration starts with agreement on a definition of automotive based on existing standards and guidelines that must be communicated across the value chain. Another important element for collaboration is standardizing on how new materials such as SiC Semiconductors (silicon carbide) should be used. Entegris plays a leading role in contamination management for defectivity reduction through its New Collaborative Approach (NCA) platform, which brings a new level of knowledge sharing to all those involved in detecting and improving defectivity.SEMI: Can you explain the New Collaborative Approach in more detail?Amade: During the SEMI Smart Transportation Forum at SEMICON Europa, we presented the process and tools we have been developing in collaboration with car makers and are implementing with chipmakers as part of our New Collaborative Approach. Our data-driven tools compare current contamination solutions practices and identify optimization opportunities. A good indicator of the maturity of the ecosystem, the tools allow chipmakers to compare the contamination mitigation practices of peers with their own and identify hot topics for advancing contamination management strategies. Every year, during Entegris Technology Days, we share best known methods, case studies, and review fab processes in order to propose customized solutions. It is all about improving defectivity.Mr. Amade joined Entegris in 1995 as an Application Engineer in its semiconductor business. In his current role as EMEA/NA Sr. Director, Mr. Amade is focused primary on growing the semiconductor business in Europe and Middle East through market strategies, and the management of sales, customer service, and marketing teams. Mr. Amade held leadership positions at Entegris in functions including gas microcontamination market management, strategic account management, and regional sales management. Mr. Amade has a degree in Chemical Engineering from ENS Chimie Lille and is a member of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group and the Global Automotive Advisory Council for Europe (GAAC).Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.

It’s official.The first autonomous vehicle has been verified for operation on the open road in Asia with no traffic restrictions. And this is no corner case, flash-in-the-pan technology. The white 4-door minivan’s modular software can be integrated into all manner of vehicles including cars, trucks and buses. More promising still, the minivan – proven roadworthy after more than 1,300 miles of testing – will lead not only to an upgrade of Taiwan’s automobile electronics industry but to groundbreaking smart transportation service models.Imagine, for example, hopping a driverless shuttle to the hottest attractions in Hsinchu City, Taiwan such as Big City, Hsinchu Cheng Huang Temple, 19 Hectares Grassland, 17KM Coastline Scenic Area and Siangshan Wetland. The autonomous ride could become another transportation option sooner than you think.“We have every intent to make available self-driving sightseeing shuttle services soon,” said Chih-Chien Lin, mayor of Hsinchu City. “The services will be our first step to substantially improving the traffic flow, highlighting the unlimited applications associated with autonomous vehicles.”Bearing the license plate number Taiwan No.0001 – the first issued for an autonomous vehicle in Taiwan – the minivan is an early but important advance in the region’s autonomous-driving technologies under a new initiative led by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), which developed the test vehicle’s software, and the Hsinchu City government. SEMI president and CEO Ajit Manocha joined Hsinchu City mayor Chih-Chien Lin and ITRI vice president Pei-Zen Chang to promote the initiative at SEMICON Taiwan 2019 in the run-up to its launch during an October 22nd press conference in Hsinchu City. Taiwan luminaries attending the press conference were (L-R in photo below) Terry Tsao, SEMI Chief Marketing Officer and SEMI Taiwan President; Jwu-Sheng Hu, Vice President and General Director, ITRI Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories; Der-Sheng Lin, Deputy Director General, MOEA Department of Industrial Technology; Chih-Chien Lin, Mayor of Hsinchu City; Pei-Zen Chang, Vice President, ITRI. ITRI and Hsinchu City government officials kick off the next phase of Taiwan’s smart transportation initiative in an October press conference near Nanliao Fishing Harbor, Hsinchu City. “This milestone in self-driving technology is a shining example of public-private partnerships in action to advance smart mobility and dovetails with SEMI's work building communities consisting of the automotive and microelectronics industries, government, and academia for collaborative innovation,” said Terry Tsao, SEMI chief marketing officer and SEMI Taiwan President. “We are thrilled to have joined ITRI and the Taiwan government in promoting the extraordinary power of technology to make automobiles and cities smarter.”Emmy Yi is a marketing specialist at SEMI Taiwan.

Automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their direct suppliers of parts and systems share a vision: Next-generation vehicles will be more electric, autonomous and connected. At a market size of more than $1 trillion, automotive is steadily becoming a high-tech market as cars morph into advanced technology platforms with partially or fully autonomous features. Call them semiconductors on wheels. Big players such as Google and many carmakers are investing heavily in chip advances to help drive increases in silicon content in automobiles.At SEMICON Europa, Pierrick Boulay, Solid State Lighting and Lighting Systems analyst at Yole Développement, will provide a market update on autonomous automobile trends including the state of sensors, radars, cameras and LiDARs as the industry works to increase the level of autonomy and electrification.Autonomous vehicle design can only thrive with the development of an industry standard for chip and device traceability across the supply chain. The importance of chip traceability to the automotive industry is reflected in its central role in driving a chip traceability standard.According to Heidi Hoffman, senior director of technology communities marketing at SEMI, “chip traceability is one of the next big things for the technology industry. The benefits are enormous, and the upsides – including yield enhancements, counterfeiting safeguards, and support for new applications – are plentiful. But the implementation challenges of chip traceability are also big and will require considerable effort to overcome. The biggest hurdle of all? We need to transcend industry fears by demonstrating that we can secure IP when it is shared across the hardware supply chain.” The Importance of Standards, Data Collection and Collaboration Across the Supply ChainThe automotive industry has long embraced tracing the sources of defects. Now, as the automotive and semiconductor supply chains increasingly overlap, traceability has taken on greater importance in the semiconductor industry. SEMI committees, task forces and events such as the Smart Transportation Forum at SEMICON Europa are ideal platforms for collaborating to develop new standards and best practices for the automotive industry.Earlier this year, German luxury automobile maker Audi AG became the first automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to join SEMI as member, strengthening alignment across automotive supply-chain segments. At SEMICON Europa, the SMART Transportation Forum and Pavilion, staged by the SEMI Global Automotive Advisory Council (GAAC) and bolstered by the Electronic System Design Alliance, a SEMI Strategic Association Partner, will gather key stakeholders across the automotive value chain, from design and semiconductor equipment to materials and carmakers, to explore innovation opportunities in automotive electronics. SEMI Global Automotive Advisory Council (GAAC) “If the industry wants to reach the goal of zero defects, a new collaborative approach is necessary,” observed Antoine Amade, senior regional director EMEA at Entegris. At SEMICON Europa, Amade will present new ways to collaborate in reducing chip defectivity and meet other challenges in the automotive industry.More than half of semiconductor failures on the automotive assembly line today (so-called 0km failures) are traced to semiconductor fab defectivity. “The increasing semiconductor content in automobiles – driven by growth in ADAS, electrification and autonomy – has put a growing focus on the quality and reliability of these devices and their implications for consumer safety and satisfaction,” said Oreste Donzella, senior vice president and CMO at KLA.The smart manufacturing (Industry 4.0) revolution is already spurring higher performance and great efficiencies throughout the supply chain and will also be crucial to driving innovation in automotive. Smart manufacturing makes possible significant improvements in factory key performance indicators (KPI) for cycle time, on-time delivery, overall equipment effectiveness, cost and product quality.“These KPI gains are key to meeting quality levels the automotive industry must reach to support the deployment of autonomous driving vehicles,” said John R. Behnke, general manager of Final Phase Systems at INFICON. In his talk at SEMICON Europa, Behnke will provide an overview of existing, in-progress, and future smart manufacturing solutions for the semiconductor industry and their impact on the automotive supply chain. The SMART Transportation Forum, 13 November, 2019 (9:30-15:30 at ICM Munich, room 14c) at SEMICON Europa is the premier platform for key stakeholders to connect, collaborate and innovate across the automotive value chain. Automotive and semiconductor industry experts will offer insights into trends in design, semiconductor equipment and materials, and automotive innovation and the roadmap to 2030. The SMART Transportation Forum will also showcase innovations in imaging, sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), smart manufacturing and L5 mobility.Other SEMICON Europa highlights: Advanced Packaging Conference: Packaging and Test Challenges Towards High Reliability (12-13 November 2019) 23rd Fab Management Forum: Game Changers for Semiconductor Operations(11-12 November 2019) Strategic Materials Conference: Strategic Materials Enabling Industry Roadmaps(12-13 November 2019) SEMICON Europa registration is open for visitors and exhibitors. For more details, please visit the SEMICON Europa website and connect with SEMI Europe on Twitter or LinkedIn @SEMIEurope (use #SEMICONEuropa).Learn more about the SEMI chip traceability standard – SEMI T23 - Specification for Single Device Traceability for the Supply Chain – and SEMI Technology Communities.Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.

Smart car technology is on the fast track. According to a forecast by the Consumer Technology Association, revenue for North American technology will reach $398 billion in 2019, with sales of emerging technologies related to automotive electronics alone expected to hit $17 billion, a 9 percent increase over 2018. Growth of automotive electronics in the semiconductor application market is on pace to exceed 10 percent for the first time, with a 11.9 percent annual compound growth rate from 2017 to 2022, said Peng Maorong, research manager of ITRI Industrial International. Today, automotive electronics trails only personal computers and mobile devices in driving semiconductor market revenue. For its part, Automotive World 2019, the world's largest exhibition for advanced automotive technologies, has drawn even more attention in recent years. The event consists of six exhibitions, including automotive electronics technology, auto parts, drive systems, lightweight materials, autopilot technology and car networking, and featured demonstrations of compelling technologies including an AI deep learning module (Xilinx) and high-speed car intranet technology (Israeli manufacturer Valens). Toyota is also on the cutting edge of automotive electronics with the rapid maturity of its semiconductors, AI technology and materials, and complete network technology. The carmaker is no longer just a pure-play automotive manufacturer. Instead, the automotive giant is positioning itself as a car service provider (mobility service provider) and plans to team with ride-sharing providers such as UBER and Didi and other automotive technology providers in the future.Taiwan, with its strong semiconductor industry chain and a complete ecosystem of information communication, will be a key force in the automotive market as the region looks to cross-industry and cross-border cooperation to help power the market. To help the automotive electronics industry seize the market promise of smart cars, SEMI established the Global Automotive Electronics Advisory Committee (GAAC), with members including Audi, Bosch, Denso, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen, Amkor, Infineon, NXP, Synopsys and Wanghong. More than 30 international companies, spanning Europe, the United States, Japan and other regions are represented on the committee. The committee met for the first time this month in Taiwan to help leverage the prowess of Taiwan's microelectronics supply chain in advancing international automotive electronics, better link Taiwan to international trends, and give Taiwan a bigger voice in the emerging smart car market, and create more opportunities for resource integration across borders. To learn more about GAAC, contact Helen Chen Chen Huiyu | Email: [email protected] | Phone: (03) 560-1777 #112.Extended reading: smart car Baihua Qi will be the next wave of killer applications (on)Emmy Yi is a marketing specialist at SEMI Taiwan.

Last year the industry posted another remarkable double-digit revenue growth year. IC shipments eclipsed one trillion units for the first time and continued to enable an ever-expanding array of silicon intensive-applications.2018 was also a pivotal year of transformation at SEMI. Setting our sights firmly on building more value for SEMI members, we doubled down on priorities I established this time last year. We advocated intensively on global trade policies, industry talent needs, and critical environment, health and safety (EHS) concerns. To underpin our efforts around talent, we took the bold step to reinvigorate the industry’s identity with a dynamic image campaign. Above all, we targeted critical industry-wide issues to help us realize the ambition of becoming a trillion-dollar industry in the next decade. Workforce DevelopmentRedefining our approach to talent development in 2018 was and remains a top priority. A diverse, highly skilled workforce is crucial to the industry’s ability to innovate. Last year we ramped up a number of SEMI High Tech U (HTU) programs to inspire young people and attract them to careers in high-tech manufacturing. To date, more than 130,000 students have been touched by HTU – through student or teacher programs.Over the past year, we designed a new university outreach program and established partnerships with 100 institutions. We established Workforce Pavilions at SEMICON events in Southeast Asia, the U.S., Taiwan, Europe and Japan for students to explore career opportunities and meet with recruiters. We thrilled at seeing sponsors hire young talent at SEMI events. This year, all SEMICONs worldwide will feature Workforce Pavilions.SEMI also formalized its commitment to Diversity and Inclusion (D I) with the establishment of a D I council to shape new programs including the recently launched Spotlight on SEMI Women. To localize and fully optimize our D I programs, we established regional workforce councils in every region we serve. We unveiled the SEMI Mentoring Program to support students and young professionals on this journey by facilitating one-on-one mentoring relationships with industry professionals. Hundreds of mentees have enrolled. But we still need more mentors. I urge you to join the program. During the year, SEMI also expanded its workforce staff and developed a comprehensive workforce strategy with programs that engage students as early as elementary school and inspires them through high school and college. The program provides pathways to professional careers, building a pipeline to fill the short-term and long-term talent needs of the industry. Industry Image CampaignAs we developed the comprehensive workforce development program, we knew we had to refresh the industry’s image and appeal to the next generation through contemporary media and communications channels. So we recently launched a bold, innovative campaign to raise industry awareness and attract students and recent graduates to careers in semiconductor manufacturing.Our You’re Welcome campaign is a novel, creative approach that blends entertainment, media and storytelling to excite students about the industry. The campaign went viral immediately and within weeks had more than 5.5 million social media impressions and 2.3 million video views.Trade Policy AdvocacyRising trade tensions between the U.S. and China catapulted global trade policy to the forefront of industry concerns in 2018. Since the tariffs have taken force, semiconductor companies have faced higher costs, greater uncertainty, and difficulty selling products abroad. The tariffs have forced many SEMI member companies to pause or rethink their investment strategies.SEMI quickly engaged U.S. policymakers and provided resources for SEMI members. We formed a member trade task force, staged trade compliance seminars in China, and convened meetings with over 110 U.S. congressional, agency and administration officials, and provided testimony on the importance of the free trade to the industry.SEMI continues to educate policymakers about the critical importance of free and fair trade, open markets, and respect and enforcement of IP for all players in the global electronics manufacturing supply chain. As part of this initiative, we distributed “10 Principles for the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain in Modern Trade Agreements” and encouraged their adoption in various trade negotiations. These principles outline the primary considerations for balanced trade rules that benefit SEMI members around the world, strengthen innovation and perpetuate the societal benefits of affordable microelectronics.Environment, Health and SafetyEnvironmental regulations are proliferating globally even as advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology relies increasingly on a host of new materials. With dozens of new fabs and fab line upgrades, our industry must align on best practices, sensibly respond to materials restrictions, and renew efforts toward sustainable manufacturing.That’s why the revitalization of SEMI EHS efforts became another priority in 2018. Two months ago, we hosted the inaugural EHS Summit at SEMI Headquarters. Fully, 70 EHS professionals and company executives met to form the basis for the future SEMI EHS program.The Year AheadDespite a softening in the market, compounded by Apple’s first-ever announcement of a revenue decline in 16 years, a geopolitical whirlwind on trade and an extended shutdown of much of the U.S. government, the future is bright.At SEMI’s annual Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS 2019) in Half Moon Bay, Calif. in early January, the sense of optimism was palpable. In her keynote address, Dr. Ann Kelleher, Sr. VP and General Manager, Technology and Manufacturing Group, at Intel, observed that data is powering the fourth industry revolution and the expansion of compute. With customers expecting continual improvements in applications, Kelleher highlighted the tremendous opportunity for the chip industry to meet these expectations.At ISS 2019, we announced a Memorandum of Understand between SEMI and imec. The MOU will enable us to accelerate our members’ engagement in SEMI’s Smart vertical market platforms, in particular Smart MedTech and Smart Transportation. Our partnership with imec will also allow us to boost SEMI Standards activities in non-CMOS technologies, deepen technology roadmap efforts and augment our SEMI Think Tank initiative in thought leadership at a global level.Over the course of this coming year, will we begin our global rollout of key building blocks of our comprehensive workforce development program to engage schoolchildren as young as 10 and learners all the way to veterans who return to the workforce. We are now able, with the invaluable help of our Workforce Development Council and the passionate engagement of many SEMI member companies, to offer a solution to the talent crisis in our industry.We will continue to be the leading voice for our members and the end-to-end semiconductor supply chain across Talent, Trade, Tax and Technology as we work to ensure free, fair trade that protects IP while preserving vital access to markets to grow the supply chain. Vertical Market PlatformsOur vertical market platforms are an important part of this growth. For example, in Smart MedTech, SEMI looks forward to working with the Nano-Bio Materials Consortium to advance human monitoring technology for telemedicine and digital health after winning $7 million to fund the renewed program. In Smart Transportation, we will leverage the Global Automotive Advisory Council (GAAC) we formed last year to represent the full automotive supply chain and the Smart Transportation and Smart Automotive forums featured at all our SEMICON events to enable the industry to identify and seize opportunities in autonomous driving. At ISS 2019, Sujeet Chand of Rockwell Automation noted that “digitization will grow faster in the next 10 years than it did in the past 50,” a trend calling for semiconductor fab architectures that transform data into business value. We will continue to bring the industry together at our Smart Manufacturing venues to help uncover ways to deploy deep learning, edge computing and other Smart technologies to deliver this value and meet the challenges of automation as artificial intelligence’s (AI) sprawling influence reshapes industries including manufacturing.I am filled with optimism and thrilled about the opportunities I see on the horizon for our members as we build on our 2018 accomplishments to enable your prosperity in 2019 and beyond. My heartfelt thanks to all of you for your participation in our programs and events.I look forward to another successful year as we connect, collaborate and innovate together!Ajit Manocha is president and CEO of SEMI.