Volume 3, Issue 3 April 2003

2003
2002
2001

Gaining A Green Thumb in Semiconductor Manufacturing by David Pescovitz Printer-friendly version David Dornfeld directs the Laboratory for Manufacturing Automation. Peg Skorpinski photo David Dornfeld wants to see green when he visits the next generation of semiconductor fabrication facilities, or fabs. The UC Berkeley professor of Mechanical Engineering is devising a software tool he hopes will convince the semiconductor industry that minimizing the environmental impact of its processes is not only good for the earth, it also benefits their bottom line. "Engineers can solve most problems if they have the specifications and requirements set out," Dornfeld says. "But few if any researchers have really looked at the impact of semiconductor processes and how to improve them with environmental specifications and requirements in mind." Recently, Dornfeld and his team field-tested their Environmental Value Systems (EnV-S) Analysis tool with semiconductor equipment giant Applied Materials. The tool resembles a spreadsheet, where users enter data about the processes, equipment, cost and performance factors. Unlike other similar analysis tools, EnV-S also weighs environmental restrictions in the geographic area where the facility operates. For example, water may be less expensive in one city while recycling certain waste products may be more expensive in another. After all the information is plugged in, EnV-S "runs a number of 'what if' scenarios and comes up with a comparison of alternatives," Dornfeld explains. The tool could also be used to evaluate potential sites. "Based on your circumstances and needs, it essentially tells you the best way to set up or operate your facility with the least environmental impact," he says. To satisfy commercial interests, the environmental impact must be connected to the cost of ownership — the holistic cost of implementing a process technology. The EnV-S experiments show that designing a system to use the absolute minimum amount of consumables, hazardous chemicals, and energy actually keeps the cost of ownership down. "The key is to hit efficiency, throughput, yield and price requirements at the same time as the environmental considerations," Dornfeld says. Currently, Dornfeld's team is building a user-friendly interface for EnV-S that will include a menu of semiconductor manufacturing processes, equipment choices down to pumps and filters, and icons that can be strung together to build entire systems for analysis. Once the tool analyzes the data, the environmental impact is measured in clear-cut variables such as kilowatts per hour, gallons of water used, greenhouse gases emitted, and even potential health hazards to the employees of the facilities. Can this environmental analysis tool encourage semiconductor fabs to go green? We want to hear from you... While the current tool is put through its paces at Applied Materials, chip company Advanced Micro Devices, and other semiconductor equipment and fabrication firms, Dornfeld looks forward to EnV-S's potential impact "upstream." "The real bang for the buck will happen if the environmental impact is considered when the machines are designed," he says. "I could even imagine some features of this tool being used when the semiconductor chips are laid out and the materials are selected." In the meantime, Dornfeld is also hoping to expand the application of EnV-S beyond the semiconductor industry. For example, he believes that the biotechnology and food industries could benefit from some greener thinking. "I haven't seen a situation yet where picking the most environmentally benign situation doesn't decrease the cost of making the product," he says. "This tool helps prove that." David Dornfeld's home page UC Berkeley's Consortium on Green Design and Manufacturing Lab Notes is published online by the Public Affairs Office of the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. The Lab Notes mission is to illuminate groundbreaking research underway today at the College of Engineering that will dramatically change our lives tomorrow. Editor, Director of Public Affairs: Teresa Moore Writer, Researcher: David Pescovitz Designer: Robyn Altman Subscribe or send comments to the Engineering Public Affairs Office: lab-notes@coe.berkeley.edu. © 2003 UC Regents. Updated 4/4/03.