New GHG Regulations Add Pressure to Lower Energy Costs in the Fab

Below is an excerpt of an article I co-authored in the latest issue of Nanochip Fab Solutions, an Applied Materials publication, on new green house gas regulations and the pressure added to efforts to lower energy costs in the Fab.

Macro energy costs and the environmental impact of manufacturing are large and growing concerns for electronics companies and now, new legislation will impose even more stringent regulatory controls.

Beginning in 2011, new U.S. government regulations will mandate reporting of Green House Gas (GHG) consumption and manufacturers in the State of California will be required to report demonstrated GHG reductions (see box). U.S. companies operating in Asia, Europe and Japan will also face regional carbon taxation and carbon accounting requirements.

Compliance has already begun. In September 2009, UMC became the first major device manufacturer to conduct carbon footprint inventory on its 200mm wafers according to international carbon footprint standard PAS2050, with the results receiving third-party verification by Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

The challenge for device makers is to reduce energy consumption and therefore, carbon emissions, without compromising on-wafer performance, throughput and environmental health and safety compliance.

To read the full article download the PDF attached at the bottom of this blog post.

Downloads

Applied_Materials_New_GHG_Regulations_Add_Pressure_to_Lower_Energy_Costs_07-2010.pdf

Applied_Materials_New_GHG_Regulations_Add_Pressure_to_Lower_Energy_Costs_07-2010.pdf 251.1 KB