Development of a virtual fab visualization interface for sustainable semiconductor manufacturing research

Context

The semiconductor industry is not only growing rapidly, but its manufacturing processes are increasing in complexity, requiring more and more energy, water, and materials. With those natural resources already under strain, to remain compatible with planetary boundaries (e.g., to align with the drastic emissions reduction required to mitigate climate change), it has become critical for technological advancement to integrate environmental sustainability “by design”. To tackle this challenge, the SSTS program at imec is working along with partners from across the value chain to assess and improve the sustainability of the semiconductor industry.

The cornerstone of this endeavour is the development of a “virtual fab”, modelling a high-volume manufacturing semiconductor fab, with all the related flows and their environmental impacts (accessible through the imec.netzero webapp). Semiconductor manufacturing being a highly complex and intricate process, this simulation tool generates large quantities of granular data. In contrast, the currently existing plotting capabilities enabled in imec.netzero, while quite flexible, are showing only high-level aggregated results.

Objective

The goal of this internship is the development of an innovative visualization interface that accurately depicts the virtual fab and all the flows inside, with the objective to significantly enhance our understanding of its environmental impacts of the fab.

This innovative display of this complex simulation will play a double role, enabling:

1. smoother development of the virtual fab models by the SSTS team, as it will be easier to analyse and check how the implemented models behave;
2. enhanced exploration capabilities of the results and clearer communication of the environmental impacts assessment results and insights to stakeholders.

Responsibilities

You will actively engage in the design, coding, and testing of the visualization tool. This will involve working closely with our research team to understand the nuances of semiconductor manufacturing processes and translating complex data into accessible and meaningful visualizations. You will also closely collaborate with the coding team to ensure seamless integration of your tool within the imec.netzero system. Your contribution will play a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the environmental pressures associated with semiconductor production.

Skills and Learning Objectives:

Applicants are expected to have a background in computer science or software engineering.

They will gain proficiency and enhance their skills in the following key areas:

• Programming (Python (must), JavaScript or other relevant languages (option))
• Professional Software Engineering (architecture, documentation, clean code)
• Data visualization techniques
• User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design
• Semiconductor Manufacturing Processes (optional)
• Environmental Impact Assessment (optional)