If you watched the Summer Olympics in Paris, one of the challenges the Athletes faced was the temperature. With a few days above 90°F, precautions were taken for the fans and the athletes to avoid overheating.
Paris was not the exception as temperature records seem to be announced nearly daily during July and August. Environmental and health concerns are increasing as temperatures continue to rise and companies are looking at how to address sustainability better to help with rising temperatures.
The microelectronics industry is in the middle of a push-me-pull-you predicament when it comes to sustainability. AI, which is driven by the semiconductor industry is consuming electricity faster than it can be built. A Wall Street Journal on August 13 reported: “PJM Interconnection, the independent system operator that manages the wholesale power market spanning 13 states including Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, said … that its latest capacity auction yielded prices of $269.92 per megawatt-day for most of its footprint, about nine times the clearing price a year ago.”
I have written previously that the companies running data centers were likely to purchase all of the renewables available to meet their net zero goals, and as a result, drive up energy costs. From the WSJ article, it appears that the power infrastructure will not be able to meet the short-term demand, and as a result, power costs will rise significantly as the demand outpaces the supply.
The semiconductor industry is looking at ways to reduce the power and heat generated in chips by working on new architectures to minimize the memory wall and improve electron flow between chips. It is an ongoing process. In addition to power consumption issues the semiconductor industry is addressing the environmental health and safety (EHS) issues associated with Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Because both the chip performance power equation and EHS need some creative solutions fast, SEMI and multiple semiconductor and semiconductor equipment companies collaborated to create the semiconductor sustainability startup program. It provides small companies with big EHS and sustainability ideas with mentorship and funding to make their ideas a reality. The program is in its third year and some creative sustainability ideas have emerged. The program finalists get to present their ideas at Semicon West.
In the kickoff for the presentations this year Andy Byrne, Micron, one of the instigators of the S3 program, moderated a fireside chat that discussed some of the startup program’s whys. This included how to engage with startups and how startups need to engage with semiconductor companies.
Questions such as: Do you have an understanding of the industry or the problem? Once you have shown that you can solve the problem, how fast can you ramp to high-volume manufacturing? How do you plug the solution into the factory without disrupting the factory operation? Do you have a champion inside who will help you with the integration and problem-solving that comes from implementing a new solution?
Eight Companies Presented at the Sustainability Startup Summit
FluoRock takes the waste fluorinated materials from the semiconductor process and recycles the material into new fluorochemicals, without using HF.
Aquagga developed a hydrothermal alkaline treatment for PFAS waste coming from semiconductor fabs which eliminates >99.9% of the PFAS waste in the Fab.
Seppure Technologies, which unfortunately did not make it to the event, developed membranes that can separate out organic solvents that are used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, which may enable the recycling of materials such as IPA in the fab.
Axine Water Technologies developed an electrochemical oxidation destruction process for industrial wastewater that can eliminate PFAS by mineralizing the contaminates. They claim six nines or greater reduction of both short and long chain PFAS in the water stream.
Airgorithm out of Singapore is focused on fluorinated greenhouse gas measurement and removal for semiconductors. They have created both a measurement and an abatement solution for fluorinated gases.
Freshean developed a nano-engineered sorbent-based Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology that utilizes nanoscale synergies to achieve an over 10x increase in CO2 capture efficiency vs. leading competitors.
Crystal Sonic developed a patented Sonic Lift-off technology that reduces waste and lowers costs for semiconductor manufacturers by harnessing the power of sound.
Boston Materials is working on advanced thermal interface materials that deliver a 5x reduction in thermal interface losses in data centers.
Most of the company’s presentations are available here, on The SEMICON West website under the EHS and sustainability tab. Look for the session, Innovation in Sustainable Semiconductor Manufacturing, Wed. July 10, The companies are in various stages of startup, with some having working products in the field to those who are slightly past proof of concept and looking for assistance to scale and find a beta site for their sustainability solution. If one of the solutions looks like a fit for your company’s sustainability objectives, contact SEMI to see how you can get involved.
