INDUSTRY NEWS

ASMC 2000

Conference reaches past process issues to target range of semiconductor manufacturing topics

With one eye on the future, this year's IEEE/SEMI semiconductor manufacturing conference will continue to reach beyond the process realm to target the array of issues confronting engineers and fab managers, says Pat Gabella, the event's technical chairperson. Sessions covering supply-chain issues, factory dynamics, process-specific yield learning, fab profitability, defect reduction, FEOL deposition, CMP, and workforce training are all on tap for the 11th Annual IEEE/SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC) and Workshop. The event is set for September 12­14 in Boston.

"This conference has always emphasized all aspects of semiconductor manufacturing; not just the processes, but the other aspects of running the manufacturing floor [such as] the logistics and partnering that have to go on," says Gabella.

With its mention of the "e-marketplace," a session on factory dynamics emphasizes improvements in both product quality and cycle time that are driven by the increased use of electronic commerce. The six papers presented in the session cover topics such as the use of fab conversions to achieve yield and equipment utilization improvements, the use of data mining to solve difficult manufacturing problems, and the positive impact on cycle time of closely monitoring critical tools.

"The supply chain is everything that feeds into either the actual tool or the process," says Gabella, project manager for lithography metrology at International Sematech. In order to achieve the continuous improvements required by the industry, chipmakers must identify critical areas and create partnerships with both the tool and materials suppliers in that chain. Gabella sees an evolution in e-commerce, particularly "the dollars-and-cents side of it. When you work on the technology side, it's easier to share data as you're working on various projects." The Web has made it easier to "visualize" many interactions, including tracking statistical process control for critical materials through partnerships and alliances, she explains.

Despite the wide-spectrum approach, the conference sessions do not neglect yield concerns by any stretch. Notes Gabella: "We do have a strong batch of yield papers this year."

Three of the 13 sessions directly address the yield topic. A total of 18 papers will be delivered in those three sessions. Session one, on process-specific yield learning, features presentations such as evaluation of the yield impact of epitaxial defects; the use of historical defect imagery; and improved yield based on defect inspection strategies at postlitho. Session nine on defect reduction for yield enhancement includes papers covering the investigation and elimination of sphere defects; defect reduction methods for advanced copper dual-damascene oxide etch; and defect control methods for SOI wafer manufacturing and processing.

The event's three keynote speeches will "focus on the person with the crystal ball," says Gabella, adding that the speeches will touch on the industry's rapid pace of change and the effects of globalization on chipmakers. The speaker on September 12, the conference's opening day, is George Scalise, president of SIA. Scalise will be followed on September 13 by Klaus Rinnen, vice president/director of the semiconductor manufacturing analysis group at Dataquest, and on September 14 by Bernard Meyerson, IBM fellow and director, telecom technology, IBM Research Division.

Rinnen will offer "an update on the nuts and bolts of the industry as well as equipment and IC suppliers," while Meyerson will address the challenges posed by the introduction of new technologies such as wireless communication and silicon germanium. Past peeks into the future at the conference focused on system-on-a-chip and the need for new materials caused by the introduction of advanced gate technologies, Gabella points out.

Additional ASMC highlights include a 21-paper poster session sponsored by KLA-Tencor. Among the topics are a comparison of inspection strategies, models for optimized tool use, optical CD applications for <200-nm lithography control, and preparing the workforce for the 21st century. Session six on September 13 will offer four presentations on educating and training the semiconductor industry workforce. Topics include the use of a performance management system in an 8-in. fab and collaboration among competing companies and colleges to create skilled semiconductor technicians.

On the opening day, the 1999 ASMC DuPont Photomasks Best Paper award will be presented to Ahmed Busnaina et al. of Clarkson University for the paper titled "Contact and Noncontact post-CMP Cleaning of Thermal Oxide Silicon Wafers."

Gabella says the ASMC will begin to alternate locations between Europe and the United States in 2001. A location for the first European event had not been announced as of mid-March. Because the ASMC event alternates with the Japanese ISSM conference, the industry is assured that there is "a conference with a strong manufacturing emphasis in the United States every year."

This year's event will attract between 300 and 350 attendees, a fairly typical figure, says Gabella. The upturn in the semiconductor industry's fortunes do not necessarily translate into higher attendance or more submissions, she points out. In fact, the result is often no better than when chipmakers are counting pennies because of a downturn. "It's a double whammy. When the industry gets really busy, people are too busy to come and deliver papers. When the industry slows down there are no travel dollars. We do tend to have that kind of dynamic, and we haven't had that huge a growth rate."

Nevertheless, the breadth of coverage and the conference's reputation will continue to make it a worthwhile break for harried engineers and managers, Gabella hints. "That's one of the nice things about this conference. It's very applicable to the day-to-day engineer. To me it's always been very worthwhile for the manufacturing community."