SEMI honored 14 industry leaders for their outstanding accomplishments in developing standards for the microelectronics and related industries. The SEMI Standards awards were announced at a reception held during SEMICON West 2013.

The 2013 SEMI International Standards Excellence Award, inspired by Karel Urbanek, is the most prestigious award in the SEMI Standards Program. Yesterday, it was awarded to Dr. Larry Hartsough of UA Associates.  Hartsough has been actively involved in SEMI Standards for over 20 years, serving in a variety of leadership positions. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry in the areas of thin-film deposition, equipment design and plasma processing of materials, he was instrumental in the development of cluster tool and 300mm interface Standards for semiconductor equipment. Additionally, Hartsough’s expertise in patent litigation was invaluable in guiding the Physical Interfaces and Carriers Committee on intellectual property issues. Long-term, committed leaders like Hartsough provide continuity and excellence to the SEMI Standards Program. The Award recognizes the leadership of Karel Urbanek, a SEMI Board of Directors member who was a key figure in the successful globalization the Standards Program.

In addition, the recipients of four major North American SEMI Standards awards were announced:

The Merit Award recognizes Standards Program Member major contributions to the semiconductor, PV, and related industries through the SEMI Standards Program.  Award winners typically take on a very complex problem at the task force level, gain industry support, and drive the project to completion. This year, seven Program Members were presented with the Merit Award for their contributions to the semiconductor, PV, 3D-IC, and HB-LED industries: 

• Contribution to the PV Industry: Existing SEMI test methods did not provide the ability to measure a broad range of trace elemental impurities in silicon feedstock for solar cells. Through the International PV Analytical Test Methods Task Force, Hugh Gotts (Air Liquide Electronics U.S.) led the development of SEMI PV49-0613, Test Method for the Measurement of Elemental Impurity Concentrations in Silicon Feedstock for Silicon Solar Cells by Bulk Digestion, Inductively Coupled-Plasma Mass Spectrometry.
• Contribution to the HB-LED Industry: The 150mm sapphire wafers used for manufacturing HB-LED devices are thicker than standard silicon wafers used in the semiconductor industry— making it difficult to use the same cassettes and standards. SEMI HB-LED Equipment Automation Task Force leaders, Jeff Felipe (Entegris) and Daniel Babbs (Brooks Automation) led the development of SEMI HB2-0613, Specification for 150mm Open Plastic and Metal Wafer Cassettes Intended for Use for Manufacturing HB-LED Devices. This cassette standard also enables standardization of load ports and transport systems, resulting in both direct and indirect cost savings throughout the whole supply chain.
• Contributions to the 3DS-IC Industry: Establishing common understanding and precise communication between stakeholders is important in any manufacturing supply chain, including 3DS-IC. North America 3DS-IC Inspection & Metrology Task Force leaders, David Read (NIST) and Victor Vartanian (SEMATECH), led the successful development of the first 3DS-IC standard published by SEMI, SEMI 3D1-0912: Terminology for Through Silicon Via Geometrical Metrology. It provides consistent terminology for metrology issues important to through silicon vias (TSV), including: pitch, top CD, top diameter, top area, and more. Read and Vartanian were also responsible for the successful development of two other 3DS-IC SEMI Standards — SEMI 3D4 (Bonded Wafer Stack Metrology) and SEMI 3D5 (TSV Metrology).
• Ilona Schmidt (Corning) was the key developer of SEMI 3D2-0113, Specification for Glass Carrier Wafers for 3DS-IC Applications.  SEMI 3D2 describes dimensional, thermal, and wafer preparation characteristics for glass starting material that will be used as carrier wafers in a temporary bonded state.
• Contribution to the Semiconductor Industry: Manufacturing equipment is complex, which makes it susceptible to operating errors due to electromagnetic interference (EMI).  SEMI E33 provides recommendations to help assure that manufacturing equipment will operate reliably without failures caused by electromagnetic interference (EMI).  This desired characteristic is generally known as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Last year SEMI E33 went through an extensive revision led by technical expert Vladimir Kraz (BestESD Technical Services).

The Leadership Award recognizes Program Members’ outstanding leadership in guiding the SEMI Standards Program.  Since the formation of the HB-LED Technical Committee in late 2010, Julie Chao (Silian Sapphire) and David Joyce (GT Advanced Technologies) have led the Wafer Task Force in defining the physical geometry of wafers used in HB-LED manufacturing.  Their efforts resulted in SEMI HB1-0113, Specifications for Sapphire Wafers Intended for Use for Manufacturing High Brightness-Light Emitting Diode Devices— SEMI’s first HB-LED standard. As task force leaders, Chao and Joyce fostered industry collaboration, travelling to global SEMI events and attracting new key stakeholders, ensuring global input and consensus.

The Honor Award, given to an individual who has demonstrated long-standing dedication to the advancement of SEMI Standards, recognized Richard Allen (NIST/SEMATECH). From his involvement in the Microlithography/Micropatterning Committee to his current leadership in the 3DS-IC and MEMS/NEMS Committees, Allen has been a long-standing and active participant in the SEMI Standards Program.  He joined the 3DS-IC committee shortly after it was formed in late 2010 as serves as committee chairman. He also leads the Bonded Wafer Stacks Task Force, Inspection & Metrology Task Force and Thin Wafer Handling Task Force). His contributions have been instrumental in the publication of four SEMI 3DS-IC Standards to date.

The Corporate Device Member Award recognizes the participation of the user community. This year, three Program Members were presented with the Corporate Device Member Award for their contributions to EHS and 3DS-IC. This year’s Corporate Device Member Awards were presented to Paul Schwab (Texas Instruments), Urmi Ray (Qualcomm), and Raghunandan Chaware (Xilinx).  The award is presented to individuals from device manufacturers.

As co-leader of the S8 Ergonomics Task Force, Paul Schwab (Texas Instruments) provided end-user perspective in the revision of SEMI S8, Safety Guideline for Ergonomics Engineering of Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment. Schwab significantly improved the Supplier Ergonomics Success Criteria (SESC) checklist criteria, making the Document easier to use by the industry.

Another example of the importance of end-user input was in the development of SEMI’s third 3DS-IC Standard – SEMI 3D3-0613, Guide for Multiwafer Transport and Storage Containers for 300mm, Thin Silicon Wafers on Tape Frames. North America 3DS-IC Thin Wafer Handling Task Force Leaders Urmi Ray (Qualcomm) and Raghunandan Chaware (Xilinx) played integral roles in the development of SEMI 3D3-0613, providing vital end-user perspective for shipping thin wafers on tape frames so that they arrive undamaged at their final destination.

The SEMI Standards Program, established in 1973, covers all aspects of microelectronics process equipment and materials, from wafer manufacturing to test, assembly and packaging, in addition to the manufacture of photovoltaics, flat panel displays and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). Over 3,700 volunteers worldwide participate in the program, which is made up of 23 global technical committees. Visit www.semi.org/standards  for more information about SEMI Standards.