Industry News
CAST joins SEMI for test
Silicon Wafer
THE COLLABORATIVE ALLIANCE for
Semiconductor Test (CAST) will join shipments
SEMI as a special interest group to
better manage and accelerate industry
drop
progress on critical test issues. By
joining SEMI as a special interest group,
CAST members can benefit from NOT surprisingly the recent SEMI
significant administrative efficiencies. data shows that silicon wafer
CAST will transfer its governance shipments declined in 2008 as the
structure and agenda to SEMI and fallout out from the fiscal fiasco
discontinue operations as a separate infects the industry. Worldwide
non profit entity. silicon wafer area shipments
CAST was formed in 2008 by decreased by six percent in 2008
semiconductor device makers and test acknowledged a desire to affiliate with when compared to 2007 area
Issue I 2009
industry suppliers to engage in, and an existing industry or professional shipments according to the SEMI
square4
resolve, common industry issues related association to help achieve their goals Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG)
.com
to higher test equipment utilization, and to rationalise resources. in its year-end analysis of the silicon
lower costs, and greater standardization “By joining SEMI as a special wafer industry. Revenues also
and return on test related R&D. interest group, test suppliers and their declined by 6 percent in 2008
CAST members include a range of customers throughout the world will be compared to 2007.
semiconductor industry leaders from able to effectively collaborate on pre- Silicon wafer area shipments in
automated test equipment companies, competitive standards across company 2008 totalled 8,137 million square
integrated device manufacturers, boundaries,” said Don Edenfeld, inches (MSI), down from the 8,661
oasiasemiconductor
fabless and outsourced semiconductor Manufacturing Test Equipment million square inches shipped during
.eur
assembly and test companies. Since its Development Manager at Intel 2007. Revenues fell to $11.4 billion
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formation, CAST has formally Corporation, and CAST Co-chair. from $12.1 billion posted in 2007.
“Despite starting out the year
11
strong, silicon shipments did not
exceed levels seen in 2007,” said
Sematech tackles
Nobuo Katsuoka, chairman of SEMI
SMG and director, SOI process
Engineering Department for
green issues
Shin-Etsu Handotai.
”The semiconductor market was
not immune to the economic turmoil
caused by the global financial crisis.”
INTERNATIONAL SEMATECH participation in the ESH Technology Silicon wafers are the
Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) has Centre is open to all chipmakers and fundamental building material for
announced the launch of its new equipment and materials manufacturers semiconductors, which in turn, are
Environment, Safety & Health (ESH) throughtout the entire vlaue chain. vital components of virtually all
Technology Centre. Adopting ISMI’s successful collaborative electronics goods, including
“Given the global environmental model, the Center’s participating computers, telecommunications
challenges we face, we believe there is companies will share ideas and products, and consumer electronics.
nothing more important than energy resources, and direct, continuously The highly engineered thin round
and resource conservation,” said Scott evaluate, and refresh the program disks are produced in various
Kramer, vice president of manufacturing portfolio. diameters (from one inch to 12
technology at SEMATECH. “Our The new ESH Technology Center inches) and serve as the substrate
objective in launching the ESH will drive ESH programs, built over 15 material on which most
Technology Center is to lead the effort years by SEMATECH and ISMI, to: semiconductor devices or “chips”
to keep our industry’s manufacturing ring6 promote energy and resource are fabricated.
businesses productive, profitable, and conservation through technical All data cited in this release is
sustainable, while significantly reducing evaluations and demonstrations; inclusive of polished silicon wafers,
the environmental footprint of ring6 advance green semiconductor including virgin test wafers, epitaxial
manufacturing operations.” operations and processes; silicon wafers, and non-polished
In addition to the current ISMI ring6 provide forums for sharing ESH silicon wafers shipped by the wafer
members, who represent over half of benchmark data, surveys, and manufacturers to the end-users.
the world’s semiconductor production, best practices.
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