The activities of the semiconductor industry to introduce a new, large wafer diameter were triggered by expected potential overall savings - cost and resource - and an anticipated increasing demand for Silicon wafers. In the beginning, around 1994, agreement on the diameter of the next wafer generation had to be achieved and finally 300 mm was globally accepted to be the next wafer diameter, a decision obtained at international summits in 1994/1995, based on the work of a SEMI task force.

Several workshops on 300 mm wafers have been held by SEMI, JSNM and other organizations during...