The Electronic Systems Design (ESD) Alliance is part of SEMI, a large and diverse industry association of companies in the electronics design and manufacturing supply chain noted for its many yearly events. One is the Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC), held May 14-16 this year in the Hilton Hotel, a new venue for the conference in Albany, NY.
ASMC continued the tradition of excellent technical presentations on a variety of topics related to semiconductor manufacturing. Sessions covered Yield Enhancement; Advanced Metrology; Advanced Equipment, Processes and Materials; Manufacturing for Sustainability; Defect Inspection; Equipment Optimization; Advanced Process Control; Smart Manufacturing; Contamination Free Manufacturing; Big Data Management and Mining; and 3D through silicon via (TSV) and Novel Advanced Silicon Processing.
While attendees came from around the world for the technical content, the event included opportunities for networking and a little bit of fun.
A highlight was a lunchtime robotics demonstration from FIRST Team 20, the Rocketeers from Shenendehowa High School in nearby Clifton Park, NY. A founding team in the FIRSTⓡ Robotics Program, it has competed in robotics competitions since 1992 helping students to develop both content and soft skills that are transferable to college and career. And over the years, the team has adapted nimbly to the ever-changing technology landscape.
The team currently consists of more than 100 passionate high school students and recently competed at the regional level at the New York Tech Valley Regional Robotics Competition and the Hudson Valley Regional Robotics Competition.
Although the competitions include robots from multiple teams competing on the court simultaneously, the ASMC demo sponsored by TEL was somewhat simpler. At lunch on day two of ASMC, the students brought a robot to play catch using foam rings. Under the control of the students, the robot traveled to a ring and picked it up from the floor, then tossed it toward the students and conference attendees, who would then toss it back toward the robot and the process repeated. The students could easily control the robot to pick up each ring, then adjust the vertical angle of the ring toss.
Although the demo is simpler than the actual competition, it provided the team an opportunity to interact with sponsors and leaders in the semiconductor technology community. It was clear during the demo that the students enjoyed the opportunity to demonstrate their robot and share their passion for FIRST.
To learn more about SEMI’s other programs or the FIRST Robots Program, contact me at pcohen@semi.org.
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