Deconstructing Energy Use in Microelectronics Manufacturing: An Experimental Case Study of a MEMS Fabrication Facility

Semiconductors are quite energy intensive to manufacture on the basis of energy required per mass of material processed. This analysis draws on original data from a case study of the Analog Devices Micromachined Products Division MEMS fabrication facility to examine the consequence of process rate on the energy intensity of semiconductor manufacturing. We trace the impact of process rate on energy intensity at different length scales, first presenting top-down data, then results of a bottom-up study, and concluding with individual process analyses. Interestingly, while production increased by almost a factor of 2 over the course of the study, energy demand remained virtually constant. At its most efficient, 270 kWh of electricity were required per six inch wafer in the manufacture of the MEMS devices produced at the fabrication facility. In part, the large amount of energy required per unit output is a function of the preponderance of energy used by support equipment; our data show that the facility support equipment is responsible for 58% of total energy requirements.