A Total Approach to Industry Sustainability

Green manufacturing has become one of the more popular phrases in the semiconductor lexicon, but its use often pertains to specific processes and products. Being truly green, however, means adopting a global vision that incorporates environmental awareness into the entire manufacturing process — from green purchasing and green fabs to eco-friendly processing and manufacturing waste recycling. The resulting benefits can mitigate and even outweigh the added costs of being environmentally conscious.

Green purchasing

A producer's commitment to green manufacturing begins with the acquisition of raw materials. Many corporations are actively adopting environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) that favors products manufactured, packaged and distributed with superior environmental, safety and health (ESH) characteristics; these include optimized resource and energy efficiency, reduced global warming impact, and effective recycling practices. For example, some companies have created approved product lists that are based on each product's environmental attributes. Before making a purchase, employees must consult the list to determine if the company has established a preference for a particular product.

The green fab

Conceptually, the green fab is an integrated system of specially engineered tools, methods, products and supporting technologies that together reduce energy and resource consumption, benefiting a company's bottom line. Our members are focused on this important trend. Panelists at a green fab session of the recent ISMI Symposium yielded these examples:

• Ted Reichelt, principal engineer for Intel's Global Environmental Group, outlined a comprehensive framework for sustainable manufacturing extending beyond the traditional scope of fab operations. “Building sustainable companies and communities requires a comprehensive approach going beyond traditional business models,” Reichelt said. Sustainability initiatives must be driven in four areas to leverage full potential: processes and operations; energy used in products and facilities; partnerships and accountability; and technology as an engine for sustainability.
• Paul Westbrook, Texas Instruments' Sustainable Development Manager, shared many of the best practices from TI's newly built RFAB in Richardson, Texas. Westbrook guided that facility in implementing site conservation, low-energy lighting, reduced water use, solar water heating, heat recovery, highly efficient vacuum pumps, and other eco-friendly practices. He said that TI invested ~$1.5M in LEED-related features (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ), but will recover $1M in first-year operating savings, saving more than $4M in annual operating costs — the latter driven by deep reductions in energy use and water consumption. Energy efficiency has also resulted in significantly lower emissions.

Green processing

The industry greatly needs a widespread, quality-oriented methodology for assessing the environmental effects of new materials. Sematech provides its members with:

• The Chemical Properties Information Form (CPIF), which is designed to replace the conventional, data-limited MSDS and contains data in 35 categories that include ~75 individual data types.
• The Sematech Assessment Tool, which provides a checklist for a comprehensive analysis of a given chemical, process and related equipment, as well as the existing and potential regulations that may impact the use of the material or chemical.

Also, we continue to help our members navigate emerging regulations that affect process materials, as well as the constituents in final products. These include rules on the use of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in resists and antireflective coatings; Europe's recently enacted Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulation, which limits the use of lead, mercury, cadmium and various polymers in electronic equipment; and the European regulation known as Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), which will impose strict environmental reporting requirements on companies making or importing chemicals into European markets.

Recycling and reuse

Few industries have been as proactive as the semiconductor sector in developing methods to minimize waste and maximize reuse in manufacturing materials. Examples include the reuse of process water in cooling and irrigation systems, and the use of sulfuric acid from IC production processes to neutralize waste treatment water. Such practices are indicative of the industry's vigilance and innovation as resources grow scarcer and more costly.

Green manufacturing is total

Clearly, being green in the semiconductor industry means making a comprehensive commitment to environmentally benign practices across the spectrum of the manufacturing process. Not only is green manufacturing good for corporate and community relations, it's also beneficial to the bottom line. Ultimately, an unintegrated approach is good, but not sufficient; we are collectively working to “connect the dots” to define an integrated set of practices that will sustain the industry in the 21st century.