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Kandi Collier, Intel Corporation, USA, Don Yeamen, M+W Zander, USA, Nick de Vries, Applied Materials, USA, Arnold Canales, Kinetics, USA, Dr Allan Chasey, Arizona State University, USA

ABSTRACT

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has defined several difficult challenges that will face the semiconductor industry over the next 10 to 15 years. As part of the challenge, the industry continues to demand facilities that are increasingly reliable, less expensive, faster to build and come on-line more quickly. At the same time, process equipment requirements, ESH compliance and factory operating flexibility continue to drive increased facility capital and operating costs. Process equipment installation time and costs continue to be driven higher by more gas, chemical and utility points of connection and ESH compliance requirements. As the industry develops new processes and process tools, design and construction firms will be challenged to continue to reduce the time to ramp factories to their full operating capacity. This challenge will be further complicated by:
• Rapid and frequent tool layout changes
• Increasing installation complexity while keeping costs in check
• Integrating rapid changes in process technologies into the manufacturing process
• Minimizing manufacturing downtime when converting to new technologies
• Reusing existing buildings, process and support equipment.