SEMI News

As the semiconductor industry continues to grapple with the widespread effects of the COVID pandemic, at the SEMI Foundation we continue to build programs and initiatives that inspire the next generation of STEM workers and drive new and diverse talent to all of our member companies.Our work to build out the semiconductor workforce centers on creating more diversity, equity, and inclusion within the industry. We want everyone to win. We want students and workers to benefit from these excellent jobs. We want our industry to diversify to increase our productivity, innovation, and our bottom lines. And we want to fulfill the extraordinary potential of electronics to help people around the world in the way they work and live. COVID-19 is hitting certain populations – women, veterans, and Black, Indigenous and other people of color – particularly hard, so our work has never been more timely or important for local communities and the global economy.To that end, we’re going big by generating funding and designing initiatives that will benefit the industry over the long term. The SEMI Foundation’s SEMI VetWorks Program, currently in development, will help U.S. veterans better understand our industry, the careers available to them, and how their skills will transfer to working in microelectronics. The program also provides training portals and mentorship support to smooth their transition to the industry.We’re also working to fund our Women In Industry Network, a major new initiative designed with national partners to significantly increase the representation of women, who today account for just 10-25% of the semiconductor workforce across all roles and functions. What’s more, the SEMI Foundation’s global industry image and awareness campaign is inspiring more young people to enter high-school and university STEM programs and ultimately pursue careers in microelectronics while encouraging current workers to re-skill or up-skill and join the tech workforce.Meanwhile, your High Tech U team continues to connect semiconductor companies with students all over the globe. While we’re eager to get back on the road to meet and inspire students in person, we are excited to provide updates about two of our programs:HTU in the ClassroomWith the transition to online and hybrid learning classrooms, we seized the opportunity to combine STEM activities from SEMI High Tech U with discussion sessions and other projects to help students explore and deepen their understanding of the semiconductor manufacturing process. The 16-week pilot program, called HTU in the Classroom, will launch late next year to introduce high-school students to four key areas of chip production: patterning and layering, the chemistry involved in photolithography, logic gate systems, and computational thinking. These interviews with SEMI member companies will give students a chance to share their new knowledge gained from the class and to ask questions about what life is really like as an engineer, HR professional, or manager in industry.From Sand to SiliconWith silicon the lifeblood of our industry, it is impossible to understand what makes the semiconductor/microelectronics industry tick without knowing more about the companies, processes and technologies that all make it possible. That’s why we are developing a self-guided online journey through the chip manufacturing process for students and educators. This will go beyond reading like a Wikipedia site. Instead, the learning and exploration will feature interactive elements including company videos and links to resources such as fact sheets as well as university and company websites. At each stage, students will get details about the companies and individuals who do the work and the paths the professionals followed to these roles. The big-picture look will show how all the production stages come together to build working devices that power everything from smartphones to data centers.The SEMI Foundation is grateful for your support and partnership as we all work through these unprecedented times and roll out new programs to help build the talent pipeline. To learn more about or support our workforce development programs, please contact Shari Liss, SEMI Foundation’s Executive Director, at [email protected].

On 21 September, SEMI and a coalition of 40 industry organisations sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for decisive action to solve implementation issues within the European Union Waste Framework Directive, specifically the Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) database.The signatories, who represent a very significant part of the European economy, are requesting urgent resolution of implementation issues for the SCIP database, which is designed to support the circular economy as defined in the European Green Deal. The database is required under Article 9.1 of the updated Waste Framework Directive.In the letter, the signatories ask President von der Leyen to take immediate action to: Postpone the SCIP notification deadline of 5 January 2021 to at least one year after finalization of the database; Conduct a study on the usefulness, feasibility, proportionality and impact of the database; Instruct the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to adapt the SCIP database according to the outcome of the proposed study. ECHA failed to complete development of the database by the January 2020 deadline required by the Waste Framework Directive, leaving companies insufficient time to develop, test and adapt their own systems to meet the January 2021 SCIP notification deadline.Over the last two years, the signatories have repeatedly shared their serious concerns regarding the viability, proportionality and value of the SCIP database with the European Commission and the ECHA, yet those concerns remain unresolved.Contrary to the EU Better Regulation principles that call for open and transparent decision making, Article 9.1 was added to the revised Waste Framework Directive during the final stage of the co-decision process without any prior stakeholder consultation or impact assessment. A proper impact study should help shape the way forward to deliver on the EU ambition of driving a circular European economy.Coalition PartnersEmir Demircan is director of Advocacy and Public Policy at SEMI Europe.

Solving challenges in semiconductor manufacturing requires an ongoing collaborative effort by customers, device makers, equipment and materials suppliers, and academia. ASMC 2021 will continue efforts to help the industry overcome these hurdles. To that end, we are now soliciting abstracts from industry experts across all areas of semiconductor manufacturing for presentations at the event, May 3-6, 2021 at the Saratoga Hilton/Saratoga Springs City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York.The conference provides an unparalleled platform for semiconductor professionals to network and learn the latest information in the practical application of advanced manufacturing strategies and methodologies. ASMC 2021 will be co-chaired by Ishtiaq Ahsan, Ph.D. of IBM Research and Alexa Greer of KLA.We’re looking for presentations in topic areas including the following: Advanced Metrology Advanced Equipment Processes and Materials Contamination Free Manufacturing Big Data Management and Mining Defect Inspection and Reduction Equipment Optimization Factory Automation Industrial Engineering Smart Manufacturing Yield Methodologies Click here to submit an abstract for a technical presentation. Provide an extended abstract of no more than two pages (max. of 1000 words, MS Word or PDF) with supporting data, charts, figures embedded in the last page. See author kit for details. Summarize the topic and theme in as much detail as allowed by the word count limitation. Include title, author(s), company affiliation(s), contact information, topic and five key words describing the work. The final technical manuscript must show a complete set of data to support initial abstract. Here are key deadlines and dates for industry experts to keep in mind: Abstracts Due: October 30, 2020 Author Notification: December 15, 2020 Manuscripts Due: February 9, 2021 Final Manuscripts Due: April 6, 2021 Presentations Due: April 20, 2021 Conference Dates: May 3-6, 2021 ASMC 2021 could be held as a virtual event depending on progress in containing COVID-19. Whether the event is on-site or virtual, all abstracts accepted for presentation will be published by IEEE. Speakers should be prepared to present live or online.Speakers also may be invited to publish their papers in a special section of ASMC 2021, which will be featured in IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing. All technical presentations will be considered for the ASMC Best Paper Award sponsored by Entegris. Students presenting an oral paper or poster will be considered for the ASMC Best Student Paper Award sponsored by GLOBALFOUNDRIES.For a complete overview of topics and other information, please visit the ASMC 2021 Call for Papers web page.Margaret Kindling is senior manager of Programs for SEMI Americas.

Every Friday I try to clear out my inbox. It’s a small way to feel like I’m on track with all the different projects we have going on at the SEMI Foundation. As I’m doing that, it’s rare that I’ll open a marketing email about a webinar, webcast, or industry event unless it’s incredibly compelling.One of them did catch my eye last week, from VLSI System Design for its VSDOpen2020.And the email did more than catch my eye. We jumped on the phone with the founders and ended up collaborating with them and the ESD Alliance on the event.The company specializes in training students in chip designs. That’s a great fit for the work we’re doing on your behalf at the SEMI Foundation and SEMI. And the VLSI System Design event is a free, online, one-day set of sessions that focus on designing digital and analog IP using freely available resources.If you have time on Saturday, October 10, I’d encourage you to check it out. They’ve got some great keynote speakers (see below), five IP designer tracks, educational sessions, and they’re even showcasing IP designed by students!It’s a great way to see some innovations in design, interact with students, and make some new contacts in a virtual setting. Below are more event details. Registration is now open.VSDOpen 2020 – Saturday, October 10Keynote speakers Jan Rabaey, the Donald O. Pederson Distinguished Professorship at the University of California at Berkeley, will offer a look at Computation in the Post-Moore Era: Reflecting on the Role of Open Source. Naveed Sherwani, Chairman, CEO and President of SiFive, will describe RISC-V and open source hardware – A golden opportunity for the India semiconductor industry. Michael Wishart, Co-Founder and CEO of efabless, will address Applying Community Models to ICs: Why and How. In addition, Jeremy Bennett, Chief Executive of Embecosm, will deliver an industry talk on A brief history of open hardware: Learning from the free and open source software movement. And Sunita Verma of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will give a presentation on India’s initiatives in electronic system design and manufacturing.There are also networking opportunities for designers, researchers, tool developers, and students. If you want to go deeper, join the lab-based workshops offered in the three days (Oct 7-9) leading up to the event.Check out the full program for more on specific sessions.Shari Liss is executive director of the SEMI Foundation. She oversees SEMI Workforce Development programs from K-12 through re-skilling for veterans.

Is your company working on the next big thing in flexible, hybrid and printed electronics – a breakthrough or innovation that will make the world safer, healthier or more productive for years to come? If so, we want to hear from you.You’re invited to deliver a technical presentation at virtual FLEX 2021, February 22-26, 2021. The call for abstracts is now open! Celebrating its 20th year, the online event will gather executives, product managers, business development professionals, and engineering directors as well as leading industry analysts and media for the latest developments, trends and innovations in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE). More than 400 companies, universities, R D labs, and government agencies from around the world have participated in FLEX conferences.Technical presentations should focus on the conference theme, 20 Years of Driving Innovation to Make the World Safer, covering flexible hybrid or printed electronics products, equipment, processes, materials, and the applications they enable. FLEX 2021 also takes aim at the future of the planet, so presentations on global sustainability in areas such as impacts, strategies, tactics, successes and progress area also a great fit. To submit your abstract, please complete the online form: Upload your abstract (100-300 words) describing the topic of your presentation and how it applies to the flexible, hybrid, and printed electronics products. Preference is given to original research and advancements in process and materials as they relate to end users. We also invite students from research universities to submit posters describing their work and results for the popular FLEX Poster Competition. As in the past, a panel of industry and academic experts will evaluate the posters and recognize the top three students and their work. Here are key deadlines and dates for industry experts and students to keep in mind: September 30, 2020 – Submit your abstract. October 31, 2020 – We’ll notify you whether your presentation has been accepted by this date. November 15, 2020 – Sign a Speaker Agreement and provide a bio and headshot. February 1, 2021 – Send us an electronic copy of your presentation. We’re looking for presentations in these topic areas: Flexible Hybrid Electronics Systems Materials Processing Sustainability and Power MEMS and Sensors Applications Presentations should include the following: Why the technology presented matters and to whom Practical recommendations for addressing commercialization issues or applications. This includes providing innovative technological or market solutions driven by a use case, the integration challenges you faced, and the system-level architecture decisions you made. Descriptions of how you overcame each challenge Ideas for what as an industry we should be working on and what are you working on to demonstrate sustainability For a full rundown on topics and other information, please visit the FLEX 2021 Call for Papers web page.Michelle Fabiano is a program and event manager for SEMI Americas.

METIS, a Sector Skills Alliance project co-funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Program and coordinated by SEMI, recently launched an online questionnaire aimed at gauging the skills and expertise the industry needs to drive continued growth over the next five years. The survey, which will stay online until 15 October 2020, is a part of the METIS project’s efforts to involve a broad range of stakeholders in the microelectronics industry to assess workforce, future technology and economic trends influencing talent development and the skills needed most today and in the next five years. The survey aims to highlight the skill mismatches in specific job profiles that are of increasing importance to the microelectronics industry. It elaborates on the upskilling and reskilling needs for design engineers. Given that semiconductor design is becoming increasingly crucial for Europe’s competitiveness and technological sovereignty, the new skills required from design engineers are a priority area for the METIS project. Other examples are the manufacturing and maintenance technicians, two job profiles that are currently experiencing significant shifts in their skillsets, as COVID-19 has thoroughly transformed their way of work.While the microelectronics industry has been very aware of the importance of the high level of investment in R D, it is equally crucial to ensure that the workforce of the industry is equipped with knowledge and skills for the rapid technological developments. Maintaining high levels of investment in workforce including attracting talent, updating their knowledge and skills with the latest technological development, and supporting them to lead innovations, is essential for this industry. There is a growing demand for specific requirements for this sector to support innovation in many other sectors such as automotive, energy, healthcare, and government, to foster benefits from emerging digital technologies such as Cloud Services, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Reality, and Blockchain.In addition to the online questionnaire, the METIS project consortium is interviewing top experts from leading microelectronics companies, education representatives from universities and training academies, and experts from government agencies and industry associations. The interview outcomes provide inputs on what kind of employee profiles are the most difficult to find, what skills this sector is looking for in a candidate, and what kind of training and policy frameworks are needed to improve employers’ skills. Those inputs are essential to develop the skill strategy and form recommendations on training modules.Furthermore, the METIS project consortium is organizing 10 focus groups. Each of the focus groups is dedicated to a key topic, such as SC design, SC materials, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, etc. For example, one of the METIS focus groups is dedicated to Edge AI, a top priority for the microelectronics industry. Strengthening the AI talent pipeline is essential to harness the potential of Edge AI in Europe and to facilitate the shift from the Cloud to the Edge when possible in order to meet specific demands (e.g. for autonomous driving), reduce energy consumption for data communications, and to increase efficiency. The EU’s White Paper “Artificial Intelligence - A European approach to excellence and trust”[1] , published this February, also emphasizes the importance of upskilling and reskilling to position Europe among the global leaders in AI. Hence, the focus group will work towards pinpointing the skills necessary for the semiconductor workforce to capture the potential of the trend.The results of the survey, interviews and focus groups will be used to form the Microelectronics Skills Strategy. Based on this strategy, the METIS project will design 43 training modules for 1,100 hours learning in four key areas of the microelectronics sector:Component designSystem designBasic of manufacturingKey competencies and innovative thinkingThe METIS project is planning to recruit 2,000 learners in companies and education and training institutes to participate in the trainings and validate the impact. The METIS project will also work with companies, education and training providers to ensure continuity of the initiative and foster cooperation.During the METIS project course (2019 – 2023), the Skills Strategy will be updated yearly to reflect the latest technology and market trends. To enable the Skills Strategy to continue serving the industry, METIS is working on forming a permanent instrument, named Observatory and Skills Council, to continue developing the skills strategy, update the training and facilitate cooperation between industry and education and training providers.Laith Altimime, president of SEMI Europe, and 50 members of the Microelectronics Training, Industry and Skills (METIS) consortium The METIS consortium invites companies and associations involved in microelectronics training and education provision, human resources and career services professionals, technology strategists and policy makers to complete the online questionnaire. Stakeholders are also welcome to subscribe to the METIS newsletter for the latest on METIS programs. For more details, please contact Yanying Li at [email protected].[1] EU’s White Paper on Artificial Intelligence available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/commission-white-paper-artificial-intelligence-feb2020_en.pdfDr. Yanying Li is senior manager of Collaborative Projects at SEMI Europe.

Never before had we expected that SEMICON SEA 2020 would go virtual.The COVID-19 crisis abruptly halted our ability to hold our premier Southeast Asia electronics manufacturing exposition as we typically do – in the physical realm. The pandemic tested our adaptability, challenged our willingness to experiment and, perhaps above all, accelerated not only our own but the world’s digital transformation. We had to change our way of doing business and learn to connect virtually like we had never had before. SEMI continues to believe that virtual interaction is no replacement for face-to-face engagement. But, like the rest of the world, we fast-tracked our digital education and staged the virtual event 20 July to 21 August 2020 to gather supply chain players and help fulfill the tremendous potential of our great industry. For all the suffering the COVID-19 has caused, the pandemic has underscored an important truth – that we need innovation through collaboration now more than ever to help solve the world’s greatest problems. We thank all our event sponsors as we turned what started as a grand experiment into a successful event that drew nearly 3,000 attendees to our webinars, business matching sessions and other online offerings designed to help them uncover new business opportunities. Following are other highlights. Southeast Asia Pavilion at Virtual SEMICON West 2020 In our first collaboration with SEMICON West, our Southeast Asia Pavilion at the event welcomed virtual visitors from around the globe to help them form new connections and grow their businesses. Business Matching Sessions Technical buyers from more than 15 multinational companies along with 141 pre-qualified suppliers attended more than 50 meetings across four online business matching sessions.Technical WebinarsCompany representatives from regions including Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, the United States, the UK, Israel, China and Japan shared their expertise and industry insights at SEMICON Southeast Asia 2020 webinars. In addition, experts from leading semiconductor companies such as Micron Semiconductor Asia Operations, ViTrox Corporation Berhad and A*STAR took part in our technical exchange by sharing the latest trends in the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry. Talent Development: Inspirational University Program Talks With building the talent pipeline critical to sustaining growth of Southeast Asia semiconductor manufacturing dynamics, talent champions from Lam Research and GLOBALFOUNDRIES highlighted career opportunities and pathways for young engineers while generating recruiting leads. More than 750 students from Malaysia and Singapore engaged panelists with questions during the sessions. The SEMICON Southeast Asia team extends its tremendous thanks to sponsors and attendees for their support. As we all navigate the pandemic and hope in the near future to awaken to a brighter day, we will continue to connect virtually and, whenever possible, in person as the semiconductor industry evolves and flourishes. The SEMICON SEA 2020 team In the meantime, we will all continue to pull together to support our resilient industry as it outperforms most other manufacturing sectors. Semiconductor capital equipment shipments were up 23% globally in the second quarter of 2020 versus the same period in 2019 and semiconductor chip growth remains in positive territory. Our team has already started planning for SEMICON SEA 2021, scheduled to take place at the Setia Spice Convention Centre in Penang, 18-20 May 2021.We look forward to seeing you again soon as we continue to strengthen the microelectronics ecosystem!Bee Bee Ng is president of SEMI Southeast Asia.

To attract and cultivate new talent across the microelectronics industry, virtual SEMICON West 2020 offered wide-ranging career insights for engineering students seeking that vital first job and young employees embarking on their careers. They learned about overcoming challenges at work and gained a competitive edge by connecting with industry leaders for insider knowledge. These are just some examples of how the SEMI Foundation and the SEMI Workforce Development and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives serve as a springboard to careers in the industry and help close its talent gap.Following are experiences of aspiring engineers at SEMICON West and career lessons presented to help them shape the future of our semiconductor industry.Jump-Starting Careers at SEMICON West 2020More than 600 students from over 50 colleges and universities across the Unites States joined SEMICON West 2020 to jump-start their careers in the semiconductor industry. With free access to SEMI’s first virtual expo, they connected with recruiters and companies in the exhibit hall, and sponged up insights from speakers about digital internships, job opportunities, and key trends shaping the digital future.“It was almost overwhelming,” said Jason Wong, 20, a junior at San Jose State University working toward an advanced degree in mechanical engineering. “It was kind of like an engineering student’s dream for contacts and knowledge all on one platform.”Wong visited about 15 booths in the online exhibit hall to speak with company representatives about his field of interest – microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).“MEMS is a pretty niche area, so it was really surprising how many companies were there in this category alone,” Wong said.Through the expo’s chat tool, Wong made some solid contacts and has followed up with several engineers via email, LinkedIn and Zoom meetings, cultivating what he believes will be “some long-lasting and valuable connections.”“I’m not really looking for a job at the moment, but I hope to get an internship at some point,” Wong said. “With the current (COVID-19) outbreak, a lot of events with opportunities to interact are no longer available, so this was an enlightening and useful experience for me I plan to attend again.”On the other side of the country in Virginia, Devayani Pawar, 23, found it easy to network at SEMICON West. She especially appreciated the free pass for students and practical sessions in the Smart Workforce Pavilion tailored to help early-career job seekers find opportunities, build contacts, and polish resumes.She was drawn to the Smart Manufacturing Pavilion because of her skills and interests in toolmaking and wafers.“I understand manufacturing and it’s a hot field right now,” said Pawar, who recently earned her master’s degree in data science from George Mason University. “It’s interesting to me how such tiny components can do so much powerful work.”“A lot of people my age aren’t very aware of the microchip industry – they’re mostly focused on information technology and companies like Google, Amazon, or Facebook,” Pawar said.After landing an internship at Micron Technology analyzing wafers and working in clean rooms, she was wowed by the potential of nanotechnology. Pawar learned about the strong demand for data scientists in semiconductor manufacturing. After making connections at SEMICON West and absorbing information, she now has a better handle on career opportunities.“The recruiters and other contacts I made have been so responsive, and now I have a better understanding of use cases and what companies are seeking,” she said.A Day in the Life of an EngineerRight after college in 2017, Erika Gabrielle Hansen joined Applied Materials as an engineer. She told management she wanted to travel, learn about the “big picture” behind the company’s products, and work with customers.In her presentation A Day in the Life of an Engineer at the SEMICON West Smart Workforce Pavilion, she recalled a whirlwind of unforeseen opportunities, soul-searching challenges, and the rewards of personal, professional, and community growth. She also candidly shared lessons learned about pride, collaboration, and resilience.Her journey began when she had the opportunity to share her aspirations for her at career at Applied and landed a dual role as a process engineer and customer account technologist.In her job as a process engineer, Hansen puts her materials engineering degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to good use analyzing data, solving technical problems, developing new processes to meet customer requirements, and working with cutting-edge technologies. At one moment she might be in a clean-room laboratory wearing a bunny suit doing hands-on work with tools. In another, she could be videoconferencing with hardware, software, and systems engineers worldwide, or preparing a report for upper management.“I was very nervous at first as a process engineer,” Hansen said. “I was the only person in my group who didn’t have a Ph.D. and tried to compensate for that by doing things on my own and not asking for help.”After making a few mistakes, she began to turn to her team for their expertise and sharing the results of her work – both good and bad – with them.“Having humility to ask for help and not let pride get in the way was a huge learning point for me,” she said.As a customer account technologist, she has made a dozen trips to customer sites in four countries to implement new processes or resolve technical issues. By seeing tools in action, she now has what she calls a “whole picture” perspective on their effectiveness, while enjoying the camaraderie of colleagues and sampling local cuisines, sites, and scenes around the world.At one point, she was assigned to lead an international team to resolve an issue with a major customer – her greatest challenge yet and her first time in such a role. She struggled to overcome language barriers and eventually told her boss she might not be the best person to lead the project. He promised to provide more support, and her team went on to resolve the customer’s problem.“I picked myself up, reached out to people with international experience, and changed my communication style,” Hansen said. “I learned it’s okay to be uncomfortable, to flex my leadership style, and be resilient, which is a learned skill.”Building a Better Network: Crucial ConnectionsAndrew Carnegie, one of history’s richest industrialists and most generous philanthropists, said 85 percent of a person’s success is based on “interpersonal relationships” and “abilities to be a human being.” Professional skills account for just 15 percent of success.While advancing to her current role as Chief Marketing Officer for FormFactor, Amy Leong found this advice critical to her career trajectory. Just like the challenge of raising a strong family, building a successful career “takes a village… you can’t do it alone,” she said in her Smart Workforce Pavilion presentation Building a Better Network: Crucial Connections.Outperforming expectations might be essential early in one’s career to get promotions, raises, and the attention, but that mindset goes only so far.“As seniority levels increase, people already know you’re a phenomenal performer and expect nothing less,” Leong said. “So, the higher you go the more vital it is to spend almost a disproportionate amount of effort on building relationships.”Building your network isn’t about the quantity of one’s business cards or LinkedIn connections; it’s about building quality relationships with mutual benefits over the long run.“We need to be smart about return on investment when building our professional network,” she said. “You help me, and I help you. It’s win-win horse trading.”And the most important factor in career success? For Leong, a strong family foundation has mattered most.“Family comes first,” said Leong, who has twin teenagers. “Take care of the ones you love. Check in with your family whenever you can. Family relationships are bound by blood. Thanks to my retired parents and a helpful husband, we tough it through.”She reemphasized the importance of mutually beneficial relationships, noting “A rising tide will lift all boats.”Fostering Talent for the Industry’s FutureDeveloping young talent and future leaders in microelectronics stands as a persistent and growing need – and a critical challenge to realizing expected growth. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and augmented/virtual reality are expected to impact a huge range of markets, leading to projections that the semiconductor industry will double in size in the next 10 to 15 years.The opportunities for growth and technologies that promise to improve the quality of human life worldwide are breathtaking. The industry’s talent pool will need to scale accordingly, magnifying the importance of expanding industry-wide programs such as the Workforce Development and DEI initiatives that the SEMI Foundation are building. Learn more about how you and your company can get involved with these initiatives on the SEMI Foundation website.Shari Liss is executive director of the SEMI Foundation. She oversees SEMI Workforce Development programs from K-12 through re-skilling for veterans.

Internships provide a wealth of benefits for students and corporate managers as they work side-by-side in a real-world environment. Students gain practical, hands-on experience and employers get an infusion of fresh energy, diverse ideas and eager talent.The full value of an on-site internship – the ultimate job interview – flowers when it leads to full-time employment.That was before “everything went crazy,” said Tina Revels, university relations manager at KLA, during her Smart Workforce Pavilion presentation The New Reality: Digital Internships at the virtual SEMICON West 2020. Today, amid COVID-19 restrictions, everyone must adjust to a new reality – a virtual reality. Part of this substantial shift has led to internships going digital.“Internships are more important than ever as we shift to a virtual reality,” Revels said, explaining how today’s job seekers and companies alike can make sure digital internships sustain the same mutual benefits as traditional ones.At companies turning to digital internships, managers need to do more upfront planning to re-create real-world experiences that make interns “feel engaged and connected with one another,” Revels said. For prospective interns, digital internships require greater independence, self-management discipline, and responsibility than traditional internships – all critical skills that can lead to permanent employment.Watch Revels’ full presentation below to learn how to get the most out of digital internships. Register for virtual SEMICON West 2020 to access the additional Smart Workforce and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sessions, which covered dynamic topics such as job searches during uncertain times, creating a culture of inclusivity, supplier diversity, and hiring military veterans. The content is available until September 20, 2020.Learn more about the SEMI Foundation and how its Workforce Development and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives are helping build the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain’s talent pipeline.Bryson Gauff is program manager for SEMI High Tech U.

Tracking and quickly diagnosing COVID-19 infections, working from home and telemedicine recently came into sharp focus as technology executives and other subject matter experts from microelectronics heavyweights recently gathered for the first-ever virtual SEMI CTO Forum to explore how the microelectronics industry and their own companies can leverage future technology trends to drive growth. Themed Intelligent Medtech and Wearable Technologies, the forum drew CTOs from ARM, Babblelabs, Brewer Science, Dell, Dow/Dupont, E-Ink, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Lam Research, KLA, Microchip, ON Semiconductor, Qualcomm, Tokyo Electron, Ulvac, Veeco and Xilinx. The event is designed as a strategic driver of pre-competitive innovation. Following are key takeaways from the forum. Microfluidics Promises to Speed COVID-19 Diagnosis More than 240 companies worldwide are developing microfluidics solutions to improve diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and other conditions, said forum speaker Dr. Kurt Petersen, a member of Band of Angels, Silicon Valley's oldest angel investment group, with an illustrious background1 in technology. And their innovations are bearing fruit. Cepheid, a company founded by Dr. Petersen, has developed a disposable microfluidic cartridge, Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2, used by doctors to swab the inside of a patient’s mouth. Highlighting the vital role of MEMS in medical electronics, the tiny powerful devices are behind a test that can detect COVID-19 infection in under 40 minutes. Dr. Petersen also cited a few examples of implantables and injectables under development, including: In vivo chemical sensing: Profusa developed a continuous glucose monitoring sensor via an optical patch. Glaucoma pressure monitors: Injectsense built a silicon chip the size of a grain of rice that is embedded in the eye to measure eye pressure. Retinal implants: Second Sight implanted a 60-electrode array chip that projects images onto the retina to improve vision. Microelectronics Takes Aim at Battling COVID-19 The event’s CTO roundtable, a platform for discussing societal and technology issues, revealed microelectronics technology will likely give rise to solutions for combatting pandemics and new business opportunities both in the short and long run. Areas of the greatest interest included: Tracking and Security: Infection tracking accuracy is key to limiting the spread of viruses yet comes with inherent privacy and security challenges. The consensus view of the executives was that developing trusted hardware capabilities is critical for adoption of accurate infection-tracking technologies. Remote Operation: Executives expect working from home or the use of telehealth to continue building momentum long after pandemic. To give staying power to the remote communications at the heart of these trends, microelectronics ecosystems will need to boost compute performance, both at the edge and in the cloud, while increasing bandwidth to enable applications such as augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and advanced data analytics. Edge intelligence: The challenge of remote communications spans both people and the Internet of Things (IoT). Questions persist about how hundreds of billions of sensors will connect to the cloud and how much power they will consume. The need to push computing to where data is generated – at the edge – is rising and the necessary underlying technologies will only come by combining various forms of distributed computing and analytics. The microelectronics industry’s ability to seize these opportunities will only be possible with huge strides in innovation, raising concerns among the CTOs about the financial viability of cutting-edge devices because of increasing device complexity and R D costs. Technology partnerships and collaborations – an area where SEMI is contributing and will continue to expand its efforts as it works with the CTO community – will be critical to containing R D costs. SEMI will help the executives identify and mobilize the resources key to future innovation. Improving Home, Work Productivity and Experiences Key to AR Adoption Smart wearables also offer great promise. In just over a decade, AR and VR have grown from science fiction to practical uses such as AR applications for smart contact lenses, said Dr. Mike Wiemer, Co-Founder and CTO of Mojo Vision2. Dr. Wiemer said that while many AR applications remain under development, the technology will only see widespread adoption once it starts to improve productivity and efficiency at home and work and the quality of other experiences. The smart augmented reality contact lens developed by Mojo Vision is a step in that direction. The product’s built-in display gives users timely information about everything they see while remaining invisible by packing 70,000 pixels into a space smaller than a half a millimeter across, making it the smallest and densest dynamic display ever made. The contact lens is powered by an ARM-based processor, with later versions adding an image sensor, eye-tracking sensors and a communications chip. SEMI thanks EMD Performance Materials and Telit for sponsoring the CTO Forum. For more information on the CTO Forum and SEMI’s Smart Data-AI initiative, please sign up on our webpage. 1 Dr. Kurt Petersen is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an IEEE Medal of Honor winner, and a Life Fellow of the IEEE for his contributions to the commercialization of MEMS technology. 2 Dr. Wiemer also co-founded Solar Junction, where he led technical teams to two world records in solar cell efficiency (43.5% and 44%). He also has patents and papers in Semiconductor Devices Applications, Silicon Photonics, Materials Integration, Lasers, Solar Cells, Solar Systems, and Analog Circuits. Tom Salmon is Vice President of Collaborative Technology Platforms at SEMI. Pushkar P. Apte, Ph.D., is Strategic Technology Advisor for the Smart Data AI Initiative at SEMI.