Page 10 - Chip Scale Review_May June_2021-digital

U.S. government investments: National Science Foundation (NSF), mechanical polishing (CMP), working with
under intense discussion and NIST; industry to identify a new global standard
The contribution of semiconductor • Creating a National Advanced Packaging Pb-free solder to replace Sn-Pb when the EU
manufacturing and advanced packaging to Program at NIST to, “strengthen banned Pb in electronic assemblies, and the
economic prosperity and national security semiconductor advanced test, assembly, pioneering research that enables quantum
are widely recognized in the U.S. federal and packaging capability in the domestic computing, with three NIST scientists
government, not only by President Biden, but ecosystem;” being awarded Nobel Prizes in Physics: Bill
also by bipartisan coalitions in the Senate and • Cr e a t i n g a S e m i c o n d u c t o r Phillips (1997), Eric Cornell (2001), and Dave
the House of Representatives. It appears to Manufacturing Program at NIST Wineland (2012).
now be a question of how much funding they for R&D to, “enable breakthroughs The Quantum Program at NIST is a good
are willing to spend for this purpose, relative in measurement science, standards, example of how NIST would likely respond
to other national priorities. U.S. legislation m at e r i a l s c h a r a c t e r i z at i on , to the roles assigned in the CHIPS Act: by
is in various stages, with some through i nst r u ment at ion, test i ng a nd bringing together an interdisciplinary team
the authorization process, and none, yet, manufacturing capabilities,” for next- of experts in physics, materials science,
through appropriations. (Spending in the U.S. generation semiconductors; and chemistry, electronics, manufacturing
government is done in two steps: authorization • Creating an investment fund to support engineering, and information technology
and appropriation. Authorization bills allow start-ups to work with a wide range to create the metrology, standards, and
for spending of money for a specific purpose of stakeholders to create advanced technologies for today’s and tomorrow’s
should it be made available, and appropriation metrology and characterization for microelectronics. They seem prepared to
bills allow the money that was authorized to manufacturing using the most advanced step up.
be spent.) The CHIPS Act (Creating Helpful processes, i.e., 3nm or equivalent, and
Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for for metrology for security and supply References
America), an authorization bill focused chain verification. 1. ht t ps://wa sh i ng t onp ost.com /
solely on semiconductor manufacturing and technology/2021/03/01/semiconductor-
advanced packaging, was passed in 2020 and The provisions of the CHIPS Act were shortage-halts-auto-factories/
includes the following provisions: also included in the FY21 National Defense 2. ht t ps://w w w.f reep.com /stor y/
Authorization Act, as a reiteration of the money/cars/2021/04/06/automakers-
• Grants and tax incentives for importance of the program, but again, with semiconductor-shortage/7108271002/
const r uction, expansion, and no appropriations. 3. ht t ps://w w w.washi ng tonpost.
modernization of facilities, workforce com/context/governors-letter-to-
development, and site development Summary president-biden-requesting-help-with-
for semiconductor manufacturing and The current U.S. Congress is working semiconductor-shortage-hobbling-auto-
advanced packaging of not more than to make the CHIPS Act a reality, this industry/3d3a42ce-fa0f-437b-b4e7-
$10B per entity, funded through the time, through President Biden’s proposed a4f43d213849/?itid=lk_inline_manual_7
Department of Commerce (DoC); Infrastructure Plan. The provisions are being 4. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-
• Multiple public-private consortia funded negotiated across the U.S. government, as this room/presidential-actions/2021/02/24/
through the Department of Defense is being written, and with stakeholders in the executive-order-on-americas-supply-
(DoD), “to ensure the development semiconductor manufacturing and advanced chains/
and production of measurably secure packaging communities. If passed, the 5. A. Varas, R. Varadarajan, J. Goodrich,
microelectronics including integrated CHIPS component of the Infrastructure bill F. Yinug, “Government incentives and
circuits, logic devices, memory, and will lead to significant changes, not only for US competitiveness in semiconductor
the packaging and testing practices industry, but also for NIST. NIST’s mission manufacturing,” Boston Consulting
that support these microelectronic is “to promote U.S. innovation and industrial Group - Semiconductor Industry
components by the Department of competitiveness by advancing measurement Association, Sept. 2020.
Defense, the intelligence community, science, standards, and technology in ways
critical infrastructure sectors, and other that enhance economic security and improve Biography
national security applications,” through our quality of life.” From the beginning Carol A. Handwerker is the Reinhardt
incentives for creating manufacturing of semiconductor electronics, NIST has Schuhmann, Jr. Professor of Materials
and advanced R&D facilities; played a major role in developing metrology Engineering and Environmental and
• Creating a Manufacturing USA Institute and standards needed by industry for Ecological Engineering at Purdue
on semiconductor manufacturing, likely semiconductor design, manufacturing and University, Lafayette, IN USA. Her
including advanced test, assembly, and packaging. From my own personal vantage research includes materials and processes
packaging capabilities, funded through point as former Division Chief of the NIST for 3D integration, advanced packaging,
the National Institute of Standards and Metallurgy Division (1996-2005) and one of and thin-film solar cells, Pb-free solder
Technology (NIST); the leads in the NIST Electronic Packaging interconnects in extreme environments,
• Creating a National Semiconductor Program, NIST has been, and continues to and implementing strategies to move
Technology Center as a public-private be, a trusted partner bringing cutting edge R&D i nto ma nu fact u r i ng, u si ng
consortium to, “conduct research and science to bear in solving important problems roadmapping, techno-economic analysis,
prototyping of advanced semiconductor for the microelectronics community. Three and formation of self-assembling socio-
examples of NIST’s impact immediately
technology,” specifically for economic come to mind: developing back-end-of-the- ecological systems. She leads a recently
competitiveness and security of the announced $40M, 5-year DoD program
U.S. semiconductor supply chain. The line (BEOL) modeling and characterization in facilitating the transition to Pb-
methods for dual-damascene Cu in
agencies called out as partners are DoD, collaboration with imec that led to less free electronics in defense systems.
DoC, Department of Energy (DoE), the overplating and reduced need for chemical Email carolh@purdue.edu

8 8 Chip Scale Review May • June • 2021 [ChipScaleReview.com]