Semiconductor technology is critical in enabling a global digital economy. With device complexity on the rise, advanced technology scaling is harder than ever. It means finding new ways to accelerate innovation, at lower cost, across a globally distributed industry, all while reducing the industry’s environmental impact. To overcome these challenges, a new paradigm must be embraced – a physical and virtual connected semiconductor ecosystem that will enable labs and fabs to unleash the power of innovation for a better world.

Recently, Lam Research Corp. has made multiple announcements to usher in a new era of collaborative innovation. It will take a leadership role in the creation of a virtual nano fabrication environment. Specifically, it is intends to significantly speed up and reduce the cost of industry breakthroughs.

Semiverse Solutions

In a significant stride forward in the creation of a physical-virtual semiconductor ecosystem, Lam unveiled its newly formed Semiverse Solutions business unit led by Corporate Vice President David Fried. Semiverse Solutions leverage Lam’s significant expertise in the areas of software development, simulation and modeling, data systems and advanced analytics. The organization will focus on delivering breakthrough solutions and services to enable a virtual fabrication environment for the semiconductor industry.

The Semiverse Solutions portfolio is comprised of advanced software platforms to solve process modeling, design automation, and integration challenges. Also, it includes solutions to enable advanced plasma, fluid, electromagnetic and particle simulations. Together, they provide “building blocks” to create and foster an interconnected ecosystem of virtual tools and digital twins. This allows researchers to explore promising ideas and refine new processes more rapidly, at significantly lower cost, and with less physical materials usage.

Also, Lam announced its proposal to put the virtual-physical ecosystem in action to tackle one of the biggest issues in the semiconductor industry today – developing the pipeline of future semiconductor talent. It was announced as part of a JOINT STATEMENT and FACT SHEET issued by governments of the United States and India at the White House.

Specifically, Lam Research’s Semiverse Solutions with SEMulator3D® will deliver a virtual nano fabrication environment to help train the next generation of semiconductor engineers in India. It will be combined with program management and course curriculum customization. Accordingly, this program is targeted to educate up to 60,000 Indian engineers in nanotechnologies, over a ten-year period. This aims to support India’s semiconductor education and workforce development goals.

“The role semiconductors play in enabling everything from artificial intelligence to electric vehicles is fueling a greater need for nanotechnology expertise around the world. We look forward to working with the government of India in support of their goal to fast track the education and training of the next generation of semiconductor engineers,” said Lam Research President and CEO Tim Archer.

Closing the Semiconductor Talent Gap in India and Around the World

The semiconductor industry faces a major talent shortage to meet anticipated future demand. Educating future semiconductor engineers is even more daunting as it is cost-prohibitive for academic institutions to provide physical access to the most advanced nanotechnologies. In addition, experimenting with volatile chemistries critical in the development and creation of semiconductors can be dangerous for students as they learn to work with semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Simulating real-world labs virtually provides greater democratization of engineering skills training, heightened safety, improved sustainability, and greater access to new talent pools around the world. Virtual skills training with the Semiverse Solutions portfolio is already in use by Lam, its customers, and partner academic institutions in the United States.

“Lam’s Semiverse Solutions portfolio is a gamechanger that provides a foundation to create a virtual semiconductor innovation universe,” says Fried. “As the semiconductor ecosystem races to scale to address the criticality of chips, the virtual-physical fabrication world made possible with Semiverse Solutions opens the door for exciting new opportunities for collaboration, workforce development and advanced technology breakthroughs.”