Life cycle assessment in semiconductor foundry

Abstract

[Abstract] : The environmental impact related to the use and manufacturing phases of the semiconductor chips could be potentially very strong due to the high technological level of process, the amount of energy and the special materials used for their realization. As society becomes more affluent, the demand for ubiquitous devices such as cell phone, laptops, digital cameras and other accessories becomes an integral part of modern life. Semiconductors are the essential component of these products but are often overlook in terms of their environmental impacts. LCA is a useful tool to quantify the environmental impact. LCA is made up of four key components; goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory analysis, life cycle impact assessment and life cycle interpretation. This project will identify the scale of environmental impacts in the semiconductor manufacturing of a CMOS wafer during its manufacturing phase based on the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The functional unit of the device under study is a CMOS wafer. The data collected is a gate to gate inventory that has been obtained from detailed technological analysis, from information obtained directly from company database and material suppliers. Simapro7 is used to carry out the impact assessment. The impact assessment will identify the environmental hotspots. With this, suggestions and recommendations are made on the manufacturing process and materials used for environmental sustainability.