Transformation: climate-aware IC manufacturing

The term sustainability has become burdened with expectations of accurate reporting in corporate sustainability reports or diluted by vague social goals related to existence on Earth for a long time. While promoting sustainable practices in semiconductor manufacturing is critically important, it might be helpful to update our vocabulary and position the industry for success. To that end, transformational actions are needed. Imec has developed a virtual fab for assessing the impact of semiconductor manufacturing on the environment, and this has become a trusted resource for targeting development to address environmental challenges in our industry. What transformational actions should be taken as an industry? More specifically, what is the role for patterning in this transformation? Using the imec.netzero assessments and real process examples from imec’s fab, we highlight some transformational opportunities for the industry.