ISMI News

International SEMATECH Inaugurates Consortium for Manufacturing Research

Austin, TX (20 November, 2003) – International SEMATECH (ISMT) said today that it will form a new consortium dedicated to helping semiconductor manufacturers reduce cost per wafer, and ultimately cost per die.

Mike Polcari, ISMT President and CEO, said the initiative will allow chipmakers with fabs to join current ISMT members in a SEMATECH-style environment, uniquely focused on manufacturing infrastructure, methods, standards, and productivity. The new subsidiary, International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative, Inc. (ISMI), will be wholly owned by International SEMATECH, and will operate from the same location in Austin, although it will have its own employees and participating companies. The new subsidiary will begin operations on Jan. 1, 2004.

“Our aim is to create a global alliance of the world’s major semiconductor manufacturers, focused exclusively on manufacturing effectiveness, to reduce the costs to produce finished wafers and chips, and to drive the big productivity challenges of the future, such as the next wafer size,” Polcari said.

ISMI membership will consist of leading-edge IC makers, including all current member companies of International SEMATECH, plus other companies currently in discussions with ISMI management.

ISMI’s programs will consist of Fab Productivity, Equipment Productivity, Metrology, and Environment/Safety/Health, complemented by a set of councils, including the Manufacturing Methods Council, Supplier Relations Action Council, and the Yield Council. The subsidiary will pursue new and existing projects within those program areas, guided in the short term by installed base industry needs, and in the longer term by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS).

“We believe ISMI will bring significant value both to participant companies and to the industry,” said John Schmitz, ISMT’s Chief Operating Officer for Manufacturing Operations and Technology. “ISMI supports the industry’s core manufacturing values, and it provides the world’s only R&D environment for improving manufacturing infrastructure and advancing the ITRS.”

Current efforts already underway, which the new consortium will now drive, include e-manufacturing, standards, manufacturing operations analysis, benchmarking and sharing of best known methods, equipment productivity improvement, spare parts management, design of predictive maintenance algorithms, metrology tools and methodology, defects and defect sourcing, resource and water conservation, equipment ESH/metrics, and life cycle assessment. The participating companies in ISMI will continuously evaluate and refresh the program content of the subsidiary. Future projects could include plug-and-play (i.e., the minimum time for equipment installation and qualification) and people productivity in advanced manufacturing.

Participation in ISMI is open to all semiconductor manufacturers with fabs; each member will be asked to provide at least one assignee to the new consortium.
“Both existing International SEMATECH member companies and new ISMI participants will derive benefits from improved fab productivity, thanks to a broader benchmarking sample of the world’s best fabs,” said Dr. Hans Stork, Senior Vice President, Texas Instruments and International SEMATECH Board member. “The industry will benefit from a new consortium that speaks with a common voice to help guide global suppliers and standards organizations in best meeting the industry’s needs.”

“Addressing the full spectrum of manufacturing issues is vital to the future profitability of the semiconductor industry,” said Dr. William Siegle, Senior Vice President, Technology Operations and Chief Scientist at AMD. “ISMI will build on the solid foundation of standards and productivity improvement that International SEMATECH has already established.”