By Mike Hogan, Chief Business Officer

As somebody who has been in the semiconductor industry for more than 35 years, I’ve had a front row seat to many innovations, and I’ve found a common theme. The most amazing innovations tend to happen when you push the envelope, challenge a paradigm, and refuse to settle for the status quo. That’s exactly what we’re doing at GF. We’re leaning in hard, successfully challenging the conventional definition of semiconductor manufacturing innovation, and focusing on the 70% of the semiconductor market that requires feature-rich process technology. The results speak for themselves. From smart thermostats, industrial robotics, and smart appliances to electric vehicles, optical data networks, low earth orbit satellite systems and premium smartphones, GF makes the chips that are vital to how we live, work and play.

We’re also challenging the status quo related to investment and collaboration. Our leadership in voicing the need for public private partnerships was clearly reinforced by the passing of the Chips and Science Act this week, confirming the importance of ongoing semiconductor manufacturing and innovation in the United States toward national interests such as supply chain security and access to advanced technology. This investment not only shows the power of embracing new strategies and partnering together, but also the power of energizing the community.

Most importantly though, it all starts with a feature-rich approach. We work in lockstep with our customers to develop innovative process features that enhance and elevate capabilities for RF communications, efficient conversion and delivery of power, and precision analog for sensing. Our laser focus on select end markets means our solutions are differentiated and purpose-built for automotive, smart mobile, IoT, communications infrastructure, and data centers.

Here are just a few of the ways we’re bringing new innovations to life:

• We continue to lead the way in radio frequency (RF) innovations with GF Connex, our feature-rich RF portfolio designed for next-gen wireless connectivity. We’re collaborating with industry leaders like Qualcomm, Broadcom, Fujikura, MediaTek, and others to address varied RF needs across smart mobile, IoT, and communications infrastructure.
• Our advancements in silicon photonics continue to address explosive growth of soaring data volumes while significantly reducing power consumption. We are working with industry leaders including Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Inc, Marvell and NVIDIA, along with breakthrough photonic leaders including Ayar Labs, Lightmatter, PsiQuantum, Ranovus and Xanadu, to deliver innovative, unique, feature-rich solutions to solve some of the biggest challenges facing data centers today. Our silicon photonics platform, GF Fotonix, is the first in the industry to combine its differentiated 300mm photonics features and 300GHz-class RF-CMOS on a silicon wafer, delivering best-in-class performance at scale. with partners like Cisco Systems, NVIDIA, and more.
• And GF Labs is a program focused on advancing new technology and long-term roadmap differentiation across some of the trends shaping the global economy, such as IoT, 5G, 6G, and next-gen automotive to name a few. According to International Business Strategies, these trends will drive semiconductor market revenue to more than $1.3 trillion by the end of the decade. The efforts of GF Labs will ultimately help customers expand their product innovation and speed time-to-market.

Be sure to learn more on how GF is redefining semiconductor innovation and putting new possibilities within reach.

By Candice Callahan  

Principal Member of the Technical Staff for EHS and CSR, GlobalFoundries 

Semiconductor manufacturing is an energy-intensive process. It also requires the use of many different chemicals. As part of our resource conservation efforts at GlobalFoundries (GF), we are constantly looking for new ways to save electricity and to be more energy efficient. Similarly, we also look for opportunities to reduce the amount of chemicals used and waste created at our manufacturing facilities around the world – all without compromising the quality of the wafers we produce for our customers. 

These efforts are a key part of GF’s commitment to being a leader in sustainable manufacturing and reducing our impact on the environment. 

Electricity Consumption 

At the end of 2021, GF completed its three-year resource conservation goal aimed at achieving savings in annual electricity consumption of 86 million kilowatt-hours (kwh). For comparison, this is roughly equivalent to the total electricity used by about 8,000 U.S. homes in an average year. 

Thanks to the effort of GF’s global team, we met and exceeded our electricity consumption savings goal, and decreased our normalized electricity use by 23%.  

Below are a few examples of electricity reduction projects completed in 2021 that contributed to GF’s achievements:  

• Fab 9 in Essex Junction, Vermont, conserved electricity through several projects including infrastructure upgrades, lighting upgrades, and installing more energy efficient equipment. 

• Fab 8 in Malta, New York, reduced power consumption by optimizing environmental controls in the cleanroom and adjustments to water pumps. 

• Fab 7 and GIGA+ ^TM Fab in Singapore completed electricity saving projects including the upgrade of ventilation systems to increase energy efficiency, optimizing chilled water and cooling tower systems, and light replacement projects. 

Hazardous Waste & Chemical Usage 

At the end of 2021, GF completed its three-year resource conservation goal aimed at achieving savings in annual chemical use and waste generation by 7,100 tons. To help visualize this amount of weight, think of a group of about 1,600 elephants.  

GF was able to exceed its original target, achieving approximately 2.5 times our goal. Two strategies we used to accomplish this were source reduction – reducing or eliminating the use of the chemical or generation of the waste – and reusing and recycling materials. 

Some of the major projects contributing to our company’s success include:  

• Fab 7 and GIGA+ ^TM Fab in Singapore reduced the use of chemicals including 290 tons of hydrogen peroxide, and reduced the overall amount of office waste that goes to landfills. 

• Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, reduced waste with a new wastewater pretreatment program, and a new project to separate, purify, and recycle deuterium used in the manufacturing process. 

• Fab 8 in Malta, New York, implemented several optimizations including the reduction or elimination of certain chemicals used at various points in the semiconductor manufacturing process, as well as the installation of a new system for reusing sulfuric acid waste. 

2022 Corporate Social Responsibility Report 

Above are just a few of the many environmental, social, and corporate governance success stories featured in GF’s 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility report. In addition to providing an update of how GF is performing against our sustainability goals, the report details how GF is playing a positive role in our communities and creating value by doing the right thing. 

Click here to read the full report. 

With our talented and diverse workforce and at-scale manufacturing footprint spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia, GlobalFoundries (GF) is a trusted technology source to our customers around the world. 

While all of our advanced manufacturing facilities, or fabs, are dedicated to delivering the feature-rich chips that are pervasive in everyday life and vital to the global economy, each GF fab is unique and offers its own advantages and opportunities. 

To get an insider’s look into our global manufacturing operations in Germany, we sat down with Manfred Horstmann, Vice President and General Manager of Fab 1. 

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Manfred. 

Very happy to do so. 

To start the conversation, can you tell us about the semiconductors manufactured at Fab 1? 

 At Fab 1 we build many different types of chips, on multiple platforms including 22nm and 28nm technology, as well as 40nm and 55nm technology. The entire portfolio is extremely feature-rich, and we work closely with our business units to ensure our technologies target what our customers need both now and in the future. 

 For example, in Dresden we manufacture the industry’s most advanced 28nm high-power technology, which is used for OLED displays in many of the world’s leading smartphones. We also make the industry-leading 22FDX® platform with RF and mmWave capabilities used in smart home, IoT (internet of things) devices or 5G-capable chips. Importantly, we also make chips that are used widely in automobiles, including the radars that are key for driver assistance systems. 

 You mentioned smartphones and automotive – where else are these chips used? 

Chips built in Fab 1 are everywhere! Our BCD technologies are used as audio chips in phones. We also make logic chips that do the data-crunching for smartphone cameras, and our 28ISP solution is one of the most-used chips for this application. Sticking with smartphones, in addition to enabling the latest 5G and WiFi 6 connectivity features, our 22FDX technology is also used for power management and helps our phones last longer between charges. In addition to phones and cars, you can find GF built chips in GPS devices, in wearable devices including wristband health trackers, other IoT devices, tablet computers, and in robotic systems. 

 It’s important to note that the many features we can add to our process technologies, from high voltage, to embedded nonvolatile memory, and auto qualification, position chips built by GF are the go-to solutions for so many different applications, in different industry segments. 

 Tell us about the Fab 1 team who make these chips.  

The Fab 1 team is very committed and passionate about their work. They have a strong technical foundation, they know what they are doing, and they work very effectively as a team. They are authentic and they get things done. It is also an extremely diverse team. There are more than 47 nations and nationalities represented among Fab 1 employees, all working together as a team. 

Individuals on the team have many different talents and strengths, so we always have someone stepping up and flexing these strengths to help drive emerging projects and topics. This knowledge base and initiative are key assets that are particularly vital as our fab grows. We are ramping Fab 1 fast, and it’s all-hands-on-deck. We are working together to develop pragmatic solutions. 

Adding semiconductor manufacturing capacity is no easy task. How is the ramp progressing? 

It’s going extremely well. The team is committed to the ramp, which in Fab 1 we call the “Ramp of the Decade.” It kicked off in 2020 when our CEO Tom Caulfield announced GF would be investing to grow its manufacturing capacity in Dresden. The ramp is fully underway, and we are in the midst of equipping our cleanroom with more than 400 new tools and sub tools. Last year we grew our shipments by more than 50%, and our goal is to continue growing shipments this year and into 2023 and 2024. 

One major consideration as we ramp is that the cleanroom doesn’t have empty space. This means for all the tools we move in, we also need to move out older tools or move them around to make more space. This adds another layer of complexity to the process. At any moment we have roughly 100 tools in installation while production remains full steam ahead. It’s a very busy time! But as busy as it is, our line yield is not just stable, it’s increasing. So quality is good. This outcome is only possible when the whole team is committed and working closely together. 

Are you in frequent contact with the other GF Fabs and GMs? 

Absolutely. The Dresden site is ramping, and we are in close communication with the other sites. It’s true ONEGF collaboration. For example, some team members from Fab 7 in Singapore have been spending time at Fab 1 to help us with certain aspects of installing or qualifying a new tool. We also exchange parts and materials with Fab 7, and work together with Fab 8 on specific materials or projects such as deuterium gas recovery and recycling. The global group of GMs work extremely well together, which is an advantage for both GF and our customers. This is particularly important these days, when supply chains are stressed worldwide. We have sent spare parts around, we’ve sent chemicals around, and we help each other. It’s really great how closely we work together. 

Can you tell us about your path to becoming the GM of Fab 1? 

I like to say that I’m a kid of this company. I grew up with this Dresden team. After receiving my Ph.D. from RTWH Aachen University in 1997, I worked in research and development for AMD in Silicon Valley until 1999. After returning to Dresden I spent time on different R&D and tech development teams focusing on devices and technologies, helping introduce SOI to the fab. I went from an entry-level device engineer to the director of devices and development. When GF was founded in 2009, it was a huge opportunity for me to continue growing, and I had the chance to lead GF’s 28nm technology development and productization. A few years later, I had another opportunity to form an integrated technology, yield, and contamination-free manufacturing team. In 2017 I was named vice president and focused on the ramp of 22FDX in Dresden, and the integration of features like BCD, high voltage, RF, etc. into our 28nm and 22nm platforms. In 2020 I had the big opportunity to become the GM of Fab 1. 

So, basically, I had a 23-year career in tech development, and then my path led me for the past 2 years to general management. I have learned so much from my GF colleagues, the Fab 1 team, and from our customers and partners. 

We hear a lot about Silicon Saxony. What is it, and what is GF’s role? 

Silicon Saxony is a group of about 400 companies that make up Europe’s biggest semiconductor industry cluster. GF and Fab 1 are playing a big and active role in Silicon Saxony, as we are the largest semiconductor site in Europe. Through Silicon Saxony, we aim to drive projects that are relevant to GF and all semiconductor companies here. Right now, one key challenge is talent. We are always looking to hire talented people. This includes working with technical schools and universities on semiconductor coursework and creating positions for graduates. It also includes recruiting technicians and engineers from other industries into the semiconductor segment as well as recruiting people from all over Europe to relocate to Saxony, to live and work here. Another topic we drive is materials management, looking for ways to build more robust supply chains within our region and throughout Europe. 

Can you say more about what Fab 1 is doing to attract talent? 

Talent management is really a key focus for us right now. We are hiring talented people from all across Europe and around the world. As I mentioned, the Fab 1 team now represents 47 nations, all working together to move our fab and our company forward. 

In addition to recruitment, we are building a pipeline of talent. We work with technical schools and universities throughout Germany and all of Europe on internship-to-hire programs, including some programs with a focus on hiring more women. We’ve actually doubled the size of this program over the past few years. 

Overall, our team is more diverse than ever. And we are fortunate that our site’s attrition rate is very low. Once someone joins the Fab 1 team, they tend to stay with us. I think a key factor is that Fab 1’s culture is very open to new ideas, we have a relatively flat organization compared to other companies, and individuals can really see the results and impact of their contributions. 

One final question for you. You’ve been in the semiconductor business for a long time. What excites you about chip manufacturing in 2022 and beyond? 

I am passionate about semiconductors. I really love this technology and how it enables so many other technologies and devices that we need in our daily lives. Something I loved from the beginning is how international this industry is. No other industry is so international, and I enjoy working with people from different countries and regions around the world. Manufacturing semiconductors is such a complex process, you really need people from different cultures, sharing their experience and perspectives to make it work well. This keeps me driving forward. 

Click here to read more about Manfred and GF’s Fab 1. 

by Gary Dagastine 

If you think there’s been an increase in aggressive and risky driving out on the roads lately, you’re right. Since the pandemic began, traffic infractions like speeding, drunken/impaired driving, distracted driving and others have been on the rise. For example, tickets issued for speeding over 100 mph on California highways are nearly double pre-pandemic levels, while in New York state, record numbers of tickets were issued recently for highway work zone violations. The problem is not confined to the U.S. 

While the ultimate solution to the growing problem of traffic safety rests with drivers, technology has an important role to play, too, and more advanced automotive radar is a key element. 

Automotive radar already enables adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and other advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) functions. But more powerful radar systems that are more tightly integrated with a vehicle’s electronic control systems are foundational to a vehicle’s ability to operate more autonomously. They will bring a much greater capability to anticipate and avoid crashes than is now possible. 

The 22FDX®, RF CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS technology platforms from GlobalFoundries (GF) offer outstanding RF/mmWave performance and digital processing/integration capabilities, ultralow-power operation, and favorable thermal characteristics for automotive radar and other uses. 

That’s why many of the world’s top researchers in high-frequency electronics are using them to create new automotive radar solutions which will appear in vehicles in the next three to five years. This work is supported by GF’s University Partnership Program (UPP), which gives selected research teams at more than 50 leading universities access to GF’s semiconductor technology and related assembly/test services.  

In return, these researchers collaborate with GF’s own R&D team and share research results. This helps support the addition of new features and capabilities to GF’s platforms, opens up application possibilities, and introduces students to these technologies early in their careers. 

Three World-Class Researchers in Automotive Radar 

A previous blog post described how the UPP supports University of Toronto Prof. Sorin Voinigescu in his work to build a 22FDX-based 80/160 GHz dual-polarization transceiver. 

In this post, we’ll learn how three other high-profile researchers are using GF’s technologies to make essential progress in automotive radar: 

• Prof. Frank Ellinger, Ph.D., Dr. sc. techn., is Chair of Circuit Design and Network Theory at Technische Universität Dresden, one of Germany’s leading technical universities located in the “Silicon Saxony” microelectronics cluster near GF’s Fab 1. His work focuses on the design and modeling of high-efficiency analog and mixed-signal circuits. He is the coordinator of the German government’s research initiative called “zwanzig20 cluster FAST” (Fast Actuators, Sensors and Transceivers) which has 90 partners, mostly from industry. He also has coordinated several EU-funded research projects; written a book on RF ICs and technologies; published more than 500 scientific papers; and received many awards. His students, too, have received more than 40 scientific awards. 

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• Prof. Vadim Issakov, Ph.D. leads the Institute for CMOS Design at the Braunschweig University of Technology (TU Braunschweig), also one of Germany’s leading technical universities. He focuses on analog RF and millimeter-wave (mmWave) circuits for radar and communication applications, as well as circuits for quantum computer and biomedical applications. He holds 11 patents; authored/co-authored more than 120  peer-reviewed articles; won numerous awards (including the IEEE MTT-S Outstanding Young Engineer Award); and written a book on mmWave circuits for radar applications. He previously worked in one of the leading European research institutes, Imec, and in industry at Intel Corporation and Infineon Technologies. At Infineon, he was mmWave Design Lead/Principal Engineer, working on 24 GHz radar technology for lane-change assist, now widely used in ADAS systems, 60 GHz radar for gesture sensing and several additional radar predevelopment topics above 100 GHz. 

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• Prof. Bogdan Staszewski, Ph.D., is a Full Professor at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland’s largest and one of its two most prestigious universities, and also Guest Professor at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. He joined UCD in 2014 to establish a €6.3M center of circuit design for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. His research encompasses nanoscale CMOS architectures and circuits for frequency synthesizers, transmitters and receivers, and quantum computers. For the latter, he and his students have worked to fabricate qubits using quantum well structures in commercial 22FDX process technology and to tightly integrate them on-chip with control electronics. He is co-founder/chief scientific officer of Equal1, a startup aiming to build the world’s first practical single-chip CMOS quantum computer. He has co-authored six books, over 150 journal and 210 conference articles, holds 210 issued U.S. patents, and is an IEEE Fellow. 

Searching for Optimum Solutions 

“An ideal automotive radar does not, and will not, exist because tradeoffs always must be made among many different parameters, such as detection resolution and accuracy, efficiency, power consumption and miniaturization,” said Ellinger at TU Dresden. “However, leading-edge semiconductor technologies such as 22FDX will bring us closer towards optimum solutions. They are also essential to tackling what I call our Century Challenge, where not just the performance of our systems but also their environmental friendliness must be improved, in areas such as energy consumption.”  

Ellinger said that the adaptive body biasing (ABB) feature of 22FDX technology offers great flexibility to adjust transistor operation for higher efficiency, less energy consumption and less signal distortion. GF’s 22FDX platform opens up unique possibilities for studying novel circuit concepts, he said, and his research group currently has three Ph.D. students working on 22FDX-based 77 GHz circuits for automotive radar. 

“Another 22FDX benefit is the high speed of both its n- and p-channel transistors, which enables sufficient signal levels to be realized at 77 GHz frequencies even in CMOS,” Ellinger said. “This is important because CMOS brings advantages that other technologies don’t, such as lower costs and better integration of the high-frequency circuits with low-power digital circuitry in compact systems-on-a-chip.” 

Looking ahead, Ellinger said an interesting research topic is the co-design of high-frequency circuits with packaging to decrease energy losses, a key goal given increasing societal demands for more environmentally friendly technologies. It also reduces thermal effects, leading to improved reliability and greater chip (and therefore automotive) lifetimes. 

Ellinger’s location also benefits GF. “We educate diploma, masters, and Ph.D. students at TU Dresden, who are important as a pool of skilled personnel for GlobalFoundries here, as well as for other companies in Silicon Saxony which are GF customers,” he said. However, motivating young people to study electrical engineering is a key issue in Germany as it is elsewhere in the world. To do this, Ellinger started an award-winning marketing campaign together with two of his Ph.D. students that uses songs, videos and comics to show that electrical engineering is cool and provides attractive job opportunities. 

“Whatever can be done in CMOS, will be done in CMOS” 

Vadim Issakov’s group at the TU Braunschweig is growing fast. “I started in April 2021 and already have several approved projects and 14 research assistants, with another four starting very soon, and an experienced post-doc who’s an expert in mm-wave radar circuit design,” he said. “We do analog/RF/CMOS circuit design, and our work focuses on three main pillars – mm-wave radar, low-power biomedical circuits and cryogenic circuits for quantum technologies.”  

In automotive radar, his group is currently working on a vehicle sensor based on the 22FDX platform, and a 45RFSOI-based 140 GHz phase-modulated continuous-wave (PMCW) radar system on chip (SoC) towards large scalable MIMO array. The same circuits can be used with minor modification also for communication. Therefore, there is also a trend towards radcom chips, chips capable of simultaneously supporting radar and communication functionality. 

Issakov said he thinks SOI technology is the most promising CMOS technology on the market for his radar projects. “Generally, with CMOS FinFETs, you rapidly lose intrinsic gain when you go to smaller nodes, and F_MAX [a measure of transistor speed] suffers, but SOI technology has great intrinsic gain and lets you combine mmWave performance with digital logic and low-leakage performance,” he said.  

That potential for integration is important because in coming years, as Issakov puts it, “Whatever can be done in CMOS, will be done in CMOS.” For example, he mentioned the opportunities of combining various modulation techniques. For example, there is a distinction between pulse and continuous wave radar: Pulse radar offers a high resolution at close range, while continuous wave radar detects more distant objects. “One of our goals is to use CMOS design to bring the different types of radar modulations together on one chip. A single chip could then switch back and forth between the modulations depending on the radar scenario,” he said. 

He said the major near-term technical challenges in automotive radar include the needs to achieve higher resolution and faster time-to-imaging; and finding better ways to synchronize the elements which comprise large MIMO arrays to achieve optimum angular resolution. 

Longer-term, more digital capabilities will be required for “smart” automotive radar systems that use neuromorphic computing techniques to detect objects and process data in real-time. “That can only be done in CMOS,” he said. 

Issakov said he is very grateful for the support GF’s UPP provides. “I always get the help and information I need, and fabrication of our circuits on GF’s multi-project wafers (MPWs) is straightforward and enables us to move our work forward effectively,” he said. 

“22FDX is The Natural Choice” 

Professor Bogdan Staszewski’s interest in high-frequency electronics and automotive safety goes back a long way. Early in his career, the University College Dublin professor spent 14 years at Texas Instruments developing digital RF processor technology that has since been widely deployed in many TI products. Then, after joining TU Delft in 2009, he put his Ph.D. students to work on a 60 GHz radar project; a chip for a wireless LAN at 6 GHz; and other projects that pushed the state-of-the-art at the time.  

Along the way he co-founded a company with a Swiss colleague to develop and supply lidar systems to create 3D images of a car’s environment. (Lidar is analogous to radar but uses laser light instead of radio waves.) That experience is one reason he believes the best approach to building better automotive radars is to have a fusion of technologies, including both mmWave radar and lidar. 

“I believe we need to use digital techniques to complement analog, mixed-signal and microwave elements so that you can integrate those analog functions with the digital ones,” he said. “Radars need lot of high-speed data processing to interpret what they see, and too many analog interconnections can kill it.” 

That makes SOI technology attractive for his projects, he said. One example is an all-digital PLL-based transmitter for 150GHz automotive radar, which will be taped-out soon. An earlier project was focused on a 77 GHz automotive radar, but Staszewski’s team felt that the 22FDX platform could enable 150 GHz operation, so the project was expanded. It was conducted successfully in collaboration with a major automotive-industry supplier. 

Staszewski is also exploring the use of FD-SOI technology for quantum computing, which may have future automotive applications. He is using 22FDX technology now, and his company has already made a small cryo-cooler the size of a desktop computer that potentially could be put into cars or trucks to do neural-network calculations “right at the edge.” His team is on their third generation of quantum processors, having made working devices with 10 million gates. 

Staszewski values his relationship with GF: “They have good technology and give us the opportunity to have frequent tapeouts, unlike others we’ve worked with in the past in TU Delft, which was a problem because students need to move their projects forward in order to graduate,” he said. “Also, the information we get from GF’s technical people is very helpful, they explain the ins and outs of the technology so that we can fine-tune the functions we are building; body bias is an example of this.” 

He also speaks highly of 22FDX technology: “I like 22FDX because it combines low-power digital capabilities with the option to greatly integrate RF/mmWave functions. In fact, I consult with a number of companies, and for them, GF is 22FDX,” he said. “It’s the natural choice.” 

By Olivia Pozder
Corporate Communications Intern

As a proud supporter of employee innovation and patents, GlobalFoundries (GF) knows that a strong culture of innovation and inclusion builds better business outcomes. By championing employee patents and inventions, GF supports and shapes the semiconductor industry’s movement towards more features and greater energy efficiency, while at the same time promoting innovation and employee career development. Through inventor training programs, patent advocates, mentorship by experienced inventors, and financial incentives, GF supports employees through the process of research, discovery, invention development, and patenting.

In 2021, more than 560 GF team members submitted a total of 465 invention disclosures for review. Importantly, nearly 15% of 2021 inventors were women, making up a larger percentage of this group than ever before.

May 16-20 is Patent Week at GF, an annual celebration to honor and recognize the inventive minds and meaningful contributions of GF employees to both our company and our industry. Along with a week full of educational and training events to encourage employee-inventing, it is during Patent Week that the company announces which team members will be named GF Master Inventors, as well as the GF Diversity in Inventorship Champion.

Recognizing Master Inventors 

For GF team member Mandy Gu, a member of the technical staff on the integration team at Fab 8 in Malta, New York, inventing has been a way to continuously learn and challenge herself. “Inventing greatly helps me to improve my technical skills to advance my career,” Gu said. “For technology development, we have a lot of challenging problems to solve and it is important for me to keep learning new areas and coming up with new ideas. Putting these ideas into our patent portfolio is a great opportunity to challenge myself and to scrutinize my solutions for novelty and viability.”

Gu is among the 10 new Master Inventors named this year by GF. The title of Master Inventor is reserved for employees with at least 20 issued U.S. patents and who have a demonstrated track record of technical accomplishments and intellectual property (IP) asset creation. Now in its fifth year, the program is a powerful platform for honoring prolific employees as well as motivating other employees who may be thinking about submitting their inventions for patenting. 

Along with inspiring and mentoring their colleagues, Master Inventors are advisors and a resource for GF’s technology leaders and legal team on a range of technical, strategic, and IP topics. 

“The best advice an inventor can hear is ‘don’t be afraid of problems, take them as opportunities for innovation,’” Gu said. “Being close to problems is the first step to coming up with ideas that may lead to great patentable solutions. The next step is to spend time and effort to understand the problems and study new areas to build up enough technical skills needed for innovation.”

Gu said GF’s culture of innovation is an asset for all employees to work together as a team and address challenging issues. “Since people who have expertise and experience in different areas look at the issue from a different angle, I received tremendous support and encouragement from fellow GF inventors in becoming a Master Inventor,” she said.

GF has so far recognized almost 80 Master Inventors, who according to David Cain, IP Legal Director for GF, based at the company’s Fab 9 near Burlington, Vermont, are “the shining stars of the company in terms of innovation … individuals who have had amazing careers of inventing and patenting.”

Recognizing the annual cohort of Master Inventors is one of many Patent Week activities to encourage and highlight employee inventing. Through regional panel interviews and patenting trainings and workshops, employees can learn about the patenting process and the resources available to help them along the way. 

A Culture of Innovation Leads to Differentiation

In addition to recognizing and celebrating the successes of GF inventors, Cain said there are external benefits to GF’s Master Inventor program and culture of innovation. Patents and IP can serve as a yardstick – beyond revenue, design wins, and new clients – which further showcases GF’s vital role in the semiconductor industry and global supply chain, he said. 

“New patents and IP are critical for protecting, maintaining, and growing our wide range of differentiated platforms, features, and specialized application solutions,” Cain said. “Differentiation is a huge focus here at GF, and our technologists and inventors play an oversized role in this differentiation by coming up with their great innovations and getting them into our IP pipeline so we can protect them.”

Inclusivity and Diversity Through Mentorship

Mentorship and teaching are significant aspects of GF’s mission to support an inclusive inventing culture. This support is made possible by the dedication of GF inventors to be resources for their peers and other team members.

This year, GF is proud to award the 2022 GF Diversity in Inventorship Champion. Sponsored by several of our Employee Resource Groups and corporate teams, this award honors a GlobalFoundries employee who is a prolific inventor and innovator that is dedicated to teaching, mentoring, encouraging, and supporting early career engineers in becoming inventors, specifically with early career engineers who are women or members of other historically underrepresented groups.

The recipient of this award is one of many such champions nominated for their hard work in creating a new and more diverse generation of inventors. All nominees are tremendous examples of GF’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive culture and community.

Keep an eye out for GF’s forthcoming announcement of the 2022 recipient of the GF Diversity in Inventorship Champion!

Also, check out these Q&As with other GF Master Inventors:

• Q&A with Shesh Mani Pandey
• Q&A with Yan Ping Shen

By Candice Callahan 
Principal Member of the Technical Staff for EHS and CSR, GlobalFoundries 

From our energy-efficient fabs to stringent emission controls, GlobalFoundries (GF) has a long history of environmentally responsible manufacturing and operations. We recognize climate change is an unprecedented global challenge, and we are committed to sustainability and minimizing our impact on the environment. 

The theme of Earth Day 2022 is “Invest in Our Planet.” It is in this spirit we would like to share some very positive updates around two key environmental topics for GF: the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and water conservation. The success stories below clearly show how GF’s sustainability efforts and investments are making a positive impact. 

Thank you and congratulations to the many members of the global GF team who made these successes possible! 

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

At the end of 2021, GF completed its three-year resource conservation goal aimed at achieving savings in annual GHG emissions by 11,900 metric tons of carbon equivalents (MTCE). To put that in perspective, 11,900 MTCE is roughly equivalent to the annual GHG emissions from 5,000 U.S. homes each year, or the GHG emissions from a large jetliner circling the globe about 4,000 times.   

Thanks to our global teams’ successful execution on multiple GHG reduction and avoidance projects, GF was able to far exceed the original target, achieving over 4 times our goal and decreasing our normalized GHG emissions by 19%.  

Below are a few of the GHG reduction projects completed in 2021 that contributed to GF’s success: 

• Fab 9 in Essex Junction, Vermont, completed projects optimizing the use of specific gases in multiple manufacturing tools, and installed several new point-of-use (POU) abatement units. These POU installations are part of a multi-year project at Fab 9 to reduce GHG emissions. 
• Fab 10 in East Fishkill, New York, completed multiple electricity conservation projects and avoided GHG emissions through a robust, proactive point-of-use chiller leak detection and repair program. 
• Fab 7 and GIGA Fab in Singapore completed several projects in 2021 to reduce GHG emissions, including new chamber cleaning processes and optimized gas flows on specific tools. 

In 2022 we are looking at many new ways to build upon this momentum and continue along the path to GF’s Journey to Zero Carbon goal of reducing total GHG emissions by 25% from 2020 to 2030. 

Water Conservation 

At the end of 2021, GF completed its three-year resource conservation goal aimed at conserving 340,000 m³ (90 million gallons) of water annually. Again, to put that in perspective, it’s an amount of water roughly equivalent to 136 Olympic-sized swimming pools. 

GF was able to far exceed the original target, achieving over 4 times our goal and decreasing our normalized water use by nearly 23%. In addition, absolute water withdrawal in 2021 slightly decreased as compared to 2020, even though GF as a company significantly increased production during that same time period. 

Below are a few of the water conservation projects completed in 2021 that contributed to GF surpassing its goals: 

• Fab 7 and GIGA Fab in Singapore completed a major water reclamation project resulting in significant water savings as well as demonstrating the feasibility of further water reclamation for other fabs.  The project conserves water by reclaiming, treating, and reusing wastewater from several different Fab processes. 
• Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, increased the recycling rate of the ultrapure water recycling plants by 25%, leading to significant annual savings in water withdrawal and reduced wastewater generation. 
• Fab 8 in Malta, New York, installed and optimized a reverse osmosis (RO) treatment system that both allowed for more efficient treatment of site wastewater, and allowed for the cleaned water to be reused in facilities systems. 

We will go into further detail on these and many other sustainability and conservation projects in GF’s forthcoming 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility report, to be published in June. 

In the meantime, click here to learn more about corporate responsibility and ESG at GF. 

By Olivia Pozder

GlobalFoundries (GF) strongly believes in the power of philanthropy and is proud of its history of community involvement on the global and local level. GF’s giving program, GlobalGives, is a truly global program that provides our company and our employees an opportunity to pursue philanthropic causes. GlobalGives exemplifies what is at the heart of GF’s philanthropic commitment – our employees and the desire they have to enable a positive social impact. Support for employees’ passions is a key characteristic of GF’s philanthropic programs and efforts.

“I am most proud of the response GlobalGives gets from our employees,” said Mike Cadigan, Senior Vice President of Customer Design Enablement at GF and executive sponsor of GlobalGives. “It is very rewarding to see the deep employee engagement in supporting these initiatives and the overall level of caring across the company.”

What is GlobalGives?

Companywide efforts to give back are driven by employees’ desires to contribute to the local communities in which GF operates. This strong culture of philanthropic giving paved the way for the creation of the GlobalGives program in October 2016. At its launch, the GlobalGives program served as a way for GF to quickly respond to disasters around the globe and enabled employees to donate to causes about which they were passionate.

It did not take long to see how this new program would be an asset to company giving. A week after launch, GF leveraged the newly established program to quickly respond to Hurricane Matthew and provide relief to those in need. In addition to the $5,000 corporate seed donation, GF employees raised $21,513 to help victims in the wake of the destruction. The success of this initial campaign illustrated early on that our employee dedication and enthusiasm would guide us toward the GlobalGives program we have today!

Kim Shinmoto, Director of Employee Communications at GF, leads the GlobalGives team and has seen how the employee passion that fueled the program launch six years ago continues to thrive today. “Starting as a grassroots program by a few employees, the feature offering and employee participation continues to grow year over year. It’s truly an honor to drive a program that is so deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of the GF community,” she said.

GlobalGives and GF’s Role in the Community

Cadigan and Shinmoto agree that GF has a responsibility to be a good neighbor and good corporate citizen, including leading by example and enabling a culture of giving. “We take our role in the community very seriously, serving the needs of our employees, their families, and neighbors the best we can,” Shinmoto said. “It’s one important way we can show appreciation and respect to the communities in which GF has a presence.”

Mike Cadigan echoed this sentiment, adding that the imperative for community involvement stems from the role that GF plays as a major employer in those areas. “It’s important to our employees, so it’s important to the company too,” he said. “GF is proud of its employees and surrounding communities, and strives to show appreciation by supporting our neighbors.”

By enabling a culture of giving, GF encourages employees to take an active role in their communities and continually looks for opportunities to further support employee enthusiasm for giving. Cadigan said he believes that creating a giving culture includes seeking new ways to encourage involvement and make the program more inclusive. He sees it as one aspect of GF’s responsibility to its employees. “We have a responsibility to our employees to provide them with the things they need to succeed at work as well as to support the giving culture that they desire,” he said.

COVID-19 Relief

In January 2020, GF expanded its GlobalGives program, investing in an employee matching program to further support employee community efforts worldwide. Little did GF realize the vital role the new program feature would play in helping communities across the globe respond to the COVID-19 pandemic that was soon to follow. GF’s response to COVID-19 made clear the GlobalGives program’s ability to implement a coordinated, global response at the local level. Since the effects of COVID-19 were felt differently across communities, GF’s localized relief strategy ensured that company efforts delivered the largest possible impact based on regional needs.

With the financial support of GF and a special 200% matching campaign, each global GF site determined the best way to support their community during this time of incredible uncertainty, focusing specifically on food insecurity, humanitarian needs, health, education, and community development. By the end of 2020, GF and its employees had collectively donated $2.2M in relief through the GlobalGives program. GF also allocated its reserves of personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, to an employee-directed donation program to meet the needs of healthcare workers and first-responders in the region. In total, GF enabled employees to donate over 80,000 masks to at-risk people in their communities.

Encompassing More Through Inclusivity and Employee Connection

GlobalGives grew from employee demand, focusing on causes that were important to GF team members, and the program has evolved to continue driving this sense of inclusivity. To further embrace what it means to “give,” GF this year launched volunteer matching for those who want to give their time to the causes they are passionate about. As anticipated, employee response has been extremely strong.

“Volunteer matching is a way for us to make GlobalGives even more inclusive by creating opportunities to recognize employee giving, whether individuals choose to donate money or their time,” Shinmoto said. The value placed on employee feedback supports connection and inclusivity. “Employees see GlobalGives as their program, which it really is,” Cadigan said. “Employees are excited to share what they care about, and to make suggestions of what causes and giving efforts that GlobalGives should help support. They also share ideas for how GlobalGives as a program can continue to improve. We encourage those suggestions, respond to them, have dialog around them, and quickly move to enable. This approach enables the agility of GlobalGives by providing a local focus and regional perspective on global causes and issues.

Shinmoto agreed that the connection with employees and focus on inclusivity are key to the program’s success. “Many GlobalGives campaigns originate from an employee request or are shaped by their inputs and feedback,” she said. “Their perspectives help inform the campaigns we launch, the regions we support, the causes we select, and the program features we offer.”

A Growing Program

GF’s inclusive culture has helped shape the causes GlobalGives pursues. As a semiconductor company, one of GlobalGives’ early areas of focus included supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. STEM remains a priority for GF today – the STEM@GF educational outreach program continues to grow in scope and size – however, GlobalGives has increasingly focused on a wider and more inclusive range of causes, including greater alignment with GF’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts. In 2021, GlobalGives started working closely with GF employee-led Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to support causes and initiatives chosen by the ERGs. Through this partnership, ERGs have been able to leverage the GlobalGives platform in support of causes important to each group, and GlobalGives has been able to further its goal of providing a structure for GF and employees to make an impact through philanthropy.

ONEGF

GlobalGives is defined and shaped by its grassroots origins, growing participation, employee enthusiasm, and the ability to deliver on both a global and local level. Underlying all of this, Shinmoto said, is another characteristic that makes the program unique. “GlobalGives is truly global in nature, connecting employees across the world to something bigger and to each other,” she said. “It’s incredible what we can accomplish working together as ONEGF.”

GF is proud of how the GlobalGives program has grown and of the employees whose commitment and passion have made it what it is today. GF is excited to see how the GlobalGives platform will continue to grow and provide more opportunities for employees to give back. Click here to learn more about GlobalGives and the causes it supports.

On her first day with GlobalFoundries (GF), Sylvia Chan was a team of one, faced with the challenge of leading over 5,000 employees in Lean Six Sigma (LSS). Not only did she meet the challenge, but she has also redefined training and development in GF Singapore. Today, she is an LSS Master Black Belt with 25 years of experience in various manufacturing industries. She has built LSS teams and cultures, personally trained and coached thousands in LSS, and empowered individuals and teams across enterprises.

As the head of Operations Training and Development at GF Singapore, her passion for people development has greatly strengthened the company’s talent pool. Chan is also the lead of the Singapore chapter of GF’s GlobalWomen employee resource group, as well as mentorship and development programs. She holds a master’s degree in statistics from the National University of Singapore and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Newcastle University in the UK. Chan’s inspirational leadership was integral to her being selected to receive a 2022 STEP Ahead Award from The Manufacturing Institute.

The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite. STEP Ahead aims to foster a 21st-century manufacturing workforce by empowering and inspiring women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and leadership, as well as by motivating alumnae to pay it forward by mentoring the next generation. The goal of the program is to build networks for women to have support in their industry and to elevate the role models who can inspire the next generation.

“The 2022 STEP Ahead Honorees and Emerging Leader awardees are excellent representatives of the exciting opportunities available in manufacturing,” said Denise Rutherford, 2022 STEP Ahead chair. “These remarkable women and the leadership they show help inspire the next generation of female leaders to consider careers in manufacturing.”

Chan’s achievement was applauded by GF leadership.

“Congratulations to Sylvia on winning the STEP Ahead Award! I thank her tremendously for her hard work training and mentoring others within GF,” said KC Ang, GF SVP and GM Fab Management.

Joseph Chia, GF VP and GM Fab Management, said “this is a clear recognition of Sylvia’s enormous contribution to GF, and we rejoice with her immensely in receiving this prestigious award.”

We sat down with Chan to discuss her career, her love of engineering, the STEP Ahead Award, and more:

Can you tell me about your path to GF?

I chanced upon this amazing opportunity to join GF Singapore in 2015. Single-handedly, I led, successfully deployed, and implemented Lean Six Sigma. Today, we have built a culture of continuous improvement, with a capable team of over 100 LSS practitioners who are actively involved in driving continuous business improvements that bring value to GF’s customers.

My journey at GF is full of excitement and every day is a new adventure!

You’ve had a very successful career at GF. Can you tell me about your current role and responsibilities?

I am currently leading the Singapore Operations Training and Development. I am very excited to be given this opportunity to strengthen the building of the company’s talent pipeline, focusing on attracting, developing, and retaining our talent pool.

We have transformed our Technical Induction Program – from revamping content and mode of delivery, including virtual and online learning options, to upskilling our trainers. This makes the training more interactive, engaging, and effective.

Another major role I have is working on improving our employee skills framework. We firmly believe strong foundational training coupled with a clear, defined skills map is the basis to facilitate seamless integration of every employee. In turn, this enables individuals to understand the job roles, core skills, competencies, and career pathways, as well as how to contribute to the organization more effectively, which directly impacts employee retention.

We recently embarked on the enhancement of internship programs that aim to help develop students’ professional aptitude, strengthen their personal character, and provide a greater door to opportunity. We have followed the three Es to strengthen the program: hands-on Experience, Educational opportunities and Engagement with management and senior leadership on a regular basis. We are still working on employee skills framework, with an emphasis on helping employees map their career progression.

What attracted you to semiconductor manufacturing?

What is rewarding and satisfying to me is knowing that what we produce enables and enhances the lives of many. It is exciting that manufacturing continues to evolve, adapt, and drive innovation. This is made possible with STEM, and I am proud to be a part of it.

Tell me about winning the STEP Ahead Award. Why do you think it’s important for women to be recognized in this field?

I am humbled and honored to be recognized especially since my entire career has been in manufacturing. I am grateful for my mentors and the incredible team around me who forms my support system.

It is important for women to be recognized in this field as it acknowledges the skills we have developed, that we are equally capable and competent in an industry that is largely male dominant. It affirms the positive impact we create in our company, industry, and community. In addition, it helps elevates role models that can inspire future generations to join them.

I think it’s also a privilege to be able to receive the award in person.

Are there any misconceptions or biases you’ve encountered as a woman in our industry?

I have heard this many times: “Oh, it is very rare to have a woman Master Black Belt as the role is very demanding and requires high interaction and engagement with the senior leaders.”

I would just smile politely and say, “Today is your lucky day, as you are looking at one!”

I am glad the situation today has improved significantly. At GF, we have a very strong diversity and inclusion culture that promotes and works to build equality across the workplace. I have been blessed to have an equal seat and voice at the table. Fifteen to twenty years ago, women had to work much harder to have success like that of their male counterparts.

How has mentorship impacted your career (having a mentor, being a mentor)?

I am fortunate to have had great mentors throughout my career. They have guided, inspired, and shaped me into who I am today. I am thankful they are always there, willing to help me navigate through the “maze” by imparting invaluable wisdom and advice. They give me confidence by telling me “I can do it.” They have cheered me for the whole time and watched me grow.

Now I am a mentor to a couple of people, and that is also valuable for me because I get to hear other perspectives.

How has your involvement with GlobalWomen impacted your career, and how has it been tied to mentorship?

First, I try to understand what women at GF want. Most of the time, the answer is to learn and grow. I also try to inspire confidence in other women. Just having the courage to raise your hand to ask a question or make a comment is very important.

And for our mentorship program, we try to make it easier by having group mentoring. That way, those who are quieter can take time to build their confidence slowly to ask a question. It’s all about helping other women grow, and not leaving anyone behind.

According to the Manufacturing Institute, women make up nearly half of the labor force, yet they represent less than 30% of the manufacturing workforce. In your opinion, what steps does the industry need to take to attract and retain more women?

Personally, I feel it is the exposure and it needs to start with education and the mass media. I think there is a strong stigma against women working in manufacturing, even among parents and educators, that this work is laborious, unattractive, working mostly with men in dirty and in an uncomfortable environment. We need to address this perception bias as this is not the case, especially at GF.

There are many opportunities and varieties within manufacturing, and many women have made successful careers in manufacturing. By promoting opportunities and inspiring girls from an early age, we will significantly increase the talent pool in long term.

Another important step is to ensure there are seats for women at every level, including the management and executive table. This makes it clear that there are opportunities for everyone to progress and grow with the organization.

In our previous blog, we looked at the rapidly shifting landscape for semiconductors. The explosion of data to be created, shared and connected demands more efficient chips that consumer less power.  

To satisfy these demands in the data center as well as in emerging sensing and computing applications including artificial intelligence (AI), the metaverse, streaming, gaming and social media, hardware designers and customers are looking for an almost-fantastical list of requirements: flexibility to mix and match chip capabilities in a variety of chip sizes and packages, more compute power with less power consumption, affordability and faster data transmission.  

As part of the acquisition of IBM Microelectronics in 2015, GF acquired photonics know-how and IP from IBM Research, and has since refined and developed ways to bring it to volume production as the market demand grew for more capability, better power efficiency and higher bandwidth.  

Now, GF has added two new high-performance solutions to its portfolio: the GF FotonixTM photonics platform and new, improved features to our already available silicon germanium (SiGe) 9HP platform.   

GF Fotonix, available from the GF Fab 8 in Malta, New York, monolithically integrates RF, digital and silicon photonics circuits on the same chip, while leveraging the scale, efficiencies and optimization of 300 millimeter silicon manufacturing. GF’s high-volume silicon manufacturing—combined with innovative 2.5D and 3D stacking—enables ultra-high integration of electrical, optical and communication capabilities into a single monolithic design. This solution lets customers integrate more product functions on-chip and simplifies the bill of materials.  

 Key features include:  

• Low loss passive components (such as SiN and Si WGs, tapers, MMIs)  
• High performance active photonic components (such as MZM, MRM and GePDs)  
• High performance active and passive RFCMOS components 
• Digital standard cell library 
• V-grooves supporting passive fiber attach  

For customers needing discrete high-performance component solutions for optical transceivers, GF is also announcing new features for the GF SiGe (9HP) portfolio. High-performance silicon germanium (SiGe) solutions from GF are designed to deliver the speed and bandwidth required to transport information through fiber optic high speed networks.  

This new feature set enables customers to integrate higher performance digital and RF functionality and exploit silicon economies of scale. This option will enable 800Gbps data rates to reduce power consumption of data center optical connections. This new feature set is also ideal for 5G and future 6G and similar telecom and cellular applications.  

GF’s SiGe platform offers maximized bandwidth and functionality, while minimizing power consumption and costs.  

GF is providing an Electro-Optical Process Design Kit (PDK) that includes p-cells for photonic and electrical components to help its customers get started designing for the speed of light. Reference designs, design services and post-fab services will be provided as well, along with a digital standard cell library.  

GF is collaborating with industry leaders including Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Inc, Marvell and NVIDIA, along with breakthrough photonic computing leaders including Ayar Labs, Lightmatter, PsiQuantum, Ranovus and Xanadu to deliver innovative, unique, feature-rich solutions to solve some of the biggest challenges facing data centers today. Learn more here.  

To help customers get their designs to market more efficiently, EDA leaders Ansys, Cadence Design Systems, Inc. and Synopsys, Inc. are offering design tools supporting integrated silicon photonics- based chips and chiplets. More info is available here.