South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT held a "Samsung Electronics-Nano Convergence Technology Institute Public Nanofab Operational Efficiency Consulting Results Briefing" on Sept. 11 at the Nano Convergence Technology Institute at Pohang University of Science and Technology.

The event is a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding signed in March last year by the ministry and Samsung Electronics and three chipmakers including SK Hynix and DB HiTek.

Samsung Electronics' DS division Shared Growth Cooperation Center conducted six months of consulting from March to August to transfer private semiconductor fab operations and management know-how to the Nano Convergence Technology Institute. It applied manufacturing innovation experience from its "materials, parts and equipment eye-level consulting" for partner firms to the characteristics of public nanofabs.

The Nano Convergence Technology Institute improved safety, cleanliness, equipment reliability and the foundation for responding to process services through the consulting. In the safety and environment area, it improved potential risk factors at worksites such as chemical storage, leaks and pipe corrosion, firefighting facilities, local exhaust and protective equipment. For on-site management, it standardized the locations of tools and supplies and raised cleanliness levels around workbenches and equipment by using "5S" and the "3J" method, which refers to the right item, right quantity and right place.

In the equipment operation area, it strengthened communication systems between processes and made preventive maintenance activities regular. In equipment management, it checked equipment conditions from the perspective of "eight equipment systems" such as fastening, lubrication, driving, transmission, pneumatics, electrical, control and instrumentation, and removed potential failure factors in advance.

The consulting also established standard operating procedures, checklists, and training and operating standards so improvements do not remain one-off. The results briefing shares these achievements and discusses public-private cooperation measures to improve operational competitiveness and service quality at public nanofabs.

Ji Hyun-gi (지현기), head of the Shared Growth Cooperation Center at Samsung Electronics' DS division, said public nanofabs are a key foundation of the K-semiconductor ecosystem where local materials, parts and equipment companies develop and verify new technologies and products. He said Samsung will strengthen the competitiveness of South Korea's semiconductor ecosystem by applying manufacturing innovation know-how accumulated through consulting for partner firms to public nanofabs.

The ministry plans to expand this consulting model step by step to the Korea Nanotechnology Comprehensive Institute and the Nano Convergence Technology Institute, and then to the Korea Nano Technology Institute, Seoul National University's Semiconductor Joint Research Center, the DGIST Next-Generation Sensor and Semiconductor Research Institute, and the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute's materials, parts and equipment technology center. It will also share the consulting results and best practices with participating institutions in MoaFab, a linked and integrated platform for public nanofabs.

Yoon Kyung-sook (윤경숙), director general for Basic and Fundamental Research Policy at the ministry, said transferring advanced private-sector fab operation know-how is a shared-growth cooperation model that can establish a virtuous cycle in the semiconductor ecosystem. She said the ministry will strengthen public-private cooperation with the three chipmakers around MoaFab.