The National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors and SEMATECH future directions

SEMATECH has been cited as an innovative leader and model for industry cooperation from its beginnings. From 1987 to the present, we have demonstrated that an industry and government partnership can be successful. The semiconductor industry has worked to develop a National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors which focuses and enhances cooperation at the industry infrastructure level necessary for our success. SEMATECH is involved in the roadmap process and has aligned its organization to this roadmap. We are now beginning a new model for industry cooperation as our members take full responsibility for our operational funding in 1997. As we develop our future strategic directions in response to the roadmap requirements, several key issues become dominant. In end use markets, consumers have voted for portability in products. Portability puts accelerated demands upon design, test, and packaging to accommodate low power and changes in heat dissipation. Product capability will continue to demand rapid increases in integration for the foreseeable future. These demands will drive design and manufacturing cost issues, continuing the industry's track record of delivering more complex functions with decreased cost per function. Especially important are issues related to capital productivity, equipment productivity and utilization, and wafer size change. In other venues SEMATECH has proposed international cooperation in equipment standardization, environmental issues and wafer size change. To accomplish these goals, we need to continue to improve communication with all of our partners necessary to our industry's continued success. Critical to success for the semiconductor industry is the need for increased precompetitive cooperation among our suppliers.