
Engineers at IBM’s Burlington, Vermont semiconductor facility have
developed and introduced a novel process for pattern removal on wafers
that significantly reduces the process costs and environmental waste.
The new process is also currently being implemented at IBM's East
Fishkill facility.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said that Jazz
Semiconductors of Newport Beach, California, has returned to being
compliant with federal hazardous waste requirements, after an
inspection in August 2005 identified problems with its air emissions
standards for equipment and related procedures.
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National Semiconductor has reported that its Arlington, Texas fab has
surpassed two million working hours without a lost time injury.
According to National Semiconductor, less than 0.0002 percent of U.S.
corporations have earned this distinction.
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Advent Solar, a solar cell and module manufacturer, has placed a
multiple systems order with Edwards for its Hot Oxidation Systems (HOx)
abatement technology. The Hox-based systems will be used for the
abatement of PECVD exhaust gases during solar cell manufacturing at its
Albuquerque, New Mexico plant. The systems will ship to Advent Solar in
September 2007, according to Edwards.
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NEC Electronics America's 200mm fab in Roseville, California, has
received a fifth consecutive WasteWise award from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its recycling of waste and
materials consumption reduction strategies.
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A growing body of researchers and scientists are highlighting the need
for more funding to carry out much needed research into the potential
environmental, health and safety issues surrounding nano-materials and
technologies. An influential U.S based body has released a new report
urging the U.S Government to significantly increase funding into some
of the known and more importantly yet un-known risks surrounding
nanotech.
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Metron Technology claims the semiconductor industry's first
and "only" point-of-use (POU) solution for abating copper from a
chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) system's effluent stream.
Jointly developed by Applied Materials and BOC Edwards, the Aquareus
system is exclusively sold and serviced worldwide by Metron Technology.
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STMicroelectronics has place a multiple systems order with TecHarmonic
Inc for its new flagship Perfluorocompound (PFC) gas abatement system
the Alpine-S. The systems are to be installed at STMicroelectronics fab
in Singapore. Shipments have already started and will continue through
the third quarter of 2006, according to the supplier.
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UMC has announced that it has completed audits associated with QC
080000 IECQ Hazardous Substance Process Management (HSPM) qualification
to become the first semiconductor manufacturer to achieve HSPM
certification, according to the company.
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Sharp Corporation plans to start using new, non-diluting nitrogen
carrying wastewater treatment plant at its Fukuyama, Hiroshima
Prefecture fab in July 2006. The treatment plant is the first of its
kind in the semiconductor industry, which the company claims will
remove at least 90 percent of the nitrogen in wastewater without
dilution processes.
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