PAUL NELLER, President Semiconductor Service Division, Edwards Vacuum
We see a very strong future for our industry with increasing demand continuing well into the foreseeable future. Some temporary flattening is happening in specific sectors, such as the current softening in consumer electronics and EVs, but this is partially offset by steady growth in high-performance applications such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing. At Edwards we are especially focused on sustainability. Our vacuum pumps and abatement systems are essential to remove and treat excess process gases and by-products, and we see significant opportunities as semiconductor manufacturers seek to improve the sustainability of their manufacturing processes.
Although semiconductor manufacturing does not directly emit greenhouse gases on the scale of industries such as steel or cement production, we are prodigious consumers of electrical power, and the pumps that create the vacuum required by many of our manufacturing processes account for a large part of that power consumption. Each generation of Edwards pumps has significantly improved on the energy efficiency of the preceding generation. Our current pumps are twice as efficient as their predecessors, and the generation now in development will continue that trend. In addition, by offering new developments as upgrades to installed systems whenever possible, we accelerate access to their benefits – lower energy costs and smaller carbon footprint – for our existing customers.
As manufacturing processes have become more complex, wafers in process have become more valuable, and the scrap costs resulting from unexpected process failures have skyrocketed. Based on years of experience and data from sensors throughout our pumps, we have developed predictive maintenance models that let us intervene before failures occur. Not only does this avoid scrap costs, it also reduces the extent and cost of maintenance needed to retore optimal performance.
We are also investing heavily in the development of recycling technologies for process gases. For example, EUV lithography systems use very high flows of hydrogen to remove heat and contaminants (primarily tin particulates from the EUV source). It is possible to recover and recycle as much as 80% of that hydrogen. Recycling reduces not only the cost of the hydrogen but also the carbon footprint of the process, since most hydrogen is currently produced by steam reformation from natural gas. As new processes add new materials, many of them scarce and/or expensive, we expect recycling to become increasingly important.
We have invested heavily in a network of local service and technology centers that position personnel, parts, and repair/refurbishing capabilities closer to customer facilities. This improves response times, while also reducing the costs and carbon footprint associated with high priority movement of parts and personnel.
Sustainability is a point of view. It applies to everything we do. It requires constant attention to the technologies and processes we use and awareness of their impact on the environment we all share. It is a perspective that is essential for the long-term health of our industry.
Click here to read all of the 2025 Executive Viewpoints in Semiconductor Digest magazine.
