CEA-Leti has launched a new research programme with International SubFAB Research Labs (ISRL) to develop and assess technologies that could reduce semiconductor manufacturing emissions and waste.
The initiative will give industry partners access to a dedicated testing environment at CEA-Leti’s Grenoble site in France. Known as SubFAB Labs, the programme will allow manufacturers and technology developers to evaluate monitoring, treatment and emissions abatement solutions under high-volume semiconductor manufacturing conditions.
Funded entirely by industry, its first phase will run for up to four years, with the research aiming to establish a detailed understanding of the materials, emissions and by-products generated throughout integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing.
The resulting database will help identify opportunities to improve material efficiency, reduce environmental impacts and recover critical raw materials.
Addressing the environmental impact of semiconductor production
Semiconductor manufacturing relies on complex infrastructure to manage the gases, chemicals and wastewater produced during chip fabrication.
Much of this activity takes place in subfabs, the areas beneath cleanrooms that house the pumping, treatment and abatement systems required to support production.
Despite their importance, these systems can contribute substantially to the overall environmental footprint of semiconductor facilities.
Introducing and evaluating alternative technologies within operational manufacturing sites can also be challenging, particularly when production needs to continue uninterrupted.
SubFAB Labs is designed to overcome these barriers by providing a controlled experimental platform where companies can test equipment and materials without relying solely on existing production facilities.
Partners will be able to measure the environmental and economic performance of new technologies, while modelling will help determine how successful approaches could be scaled up and deployed across commercial manufacturing operations.
The programme comes as semiconductor manufacturers face increasing pressure to address the environmental consequences of production.
This includes greater regulatory scrutiny of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the by-products created when these chemicals break down.
Industry partners begin testing monitoring technologies
Around 20 companies from across the IC supply chain previously supported the initiative through a poster presented at the SEMI Global Executive Summit in Tokyo in 2025.
Analytical measurement specialist HORIBA and sensor manufacturer TOFWERK are among the first companies to join the programme, alongside vacuum and abatement equipment manufacturer Edwards Vacuum.
HORIBA, headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, will evaluate existing and next-generation monitoring systems across different manufacturing processes and waste management stages. Its work will examine sensor performance throughout the waste stream, from process exhaust through to final treatment.
TOFWERK, a Bruker company based in Thun, Switzerland, will apply its time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology to monitor chemical by-products generated during semiconductor production. Its ultra-sensitive instruments enable real-time chemical analysis, including during etching and deposition processes.
Meanwhile, Edwards Vacuum will investigate manufacturing waste streams and test real-time abatement strategies. Detailed measurements of process by-products will help inform approaches to treating emissions more effectively.
Further research phases planned for 2027
Following the initial research phase, four additional phases are scheduled to begin in 2027. These will concentrate on processes identified as having the greatest environmental impact, including PFAS treatment, etching, deposition, cleaning and polishing.
Each phase will involve testing prototype technologies under manufacturing conditions, measuring their effect on emissions and assessing potential consequences for other subfab operations.
This will include examining impacts on waste handling, operational safety and running costs, ensuring that proposed environmental improvements can be evaluated alongside their practical implications for manufacturers.
CEA-Leti CEO Sébastien Dauvé said the programme would provide industry partners with the data needed to identify new solutions and accelerate the transition from laboratory research to manufacturing applications.
Supporting wider semiconductor sustainability efforts
SubFAB Labs will complement existing industry efforts to improve the sustainability of semiconductor production, including the SEMI Climate Consortium (SCC) and the EU-funded GENESIS research project, which CEA-Leti coordinates.
The establishment of the first SubFAB Lab in Europe is intended to strengthen international collaboration on environmental challenges that individual semiconductor manufacturers may find difficult to tackle independently.
By providing a shared environment for testing and validating new technologies, the programme aims to help the industry identify practical ways to reduce semiconductor manufacturing emissions while improving resource efficiency across the production process.
