Image sensors are positioned as a strategic
area for Sony semiconductor business. It is
our mission, I think, to refine our technologies
even further, to promote product differentiation,
and to be of use to our customers in this
area which is our specialty.
It is not only in the areas of design and development
that we must further refine our special
skills. In the area of manufacturing as well, I
recognize that we must continually accumulate
new innovations to assure a stable supply
of products so that our customers can purchase
with confidence.
For the last few years, I have been away from
the semiconductor field, gaining experience in
end products. By standing in the shoes of
people who use semiconductors, I have become
aware of the importance of quality management
in semiconductor products. I think my
role can be said to be to provide stimulation to
the semiconductor manufacturing field based
on my experience in end products.
It is also the case in borderless production
between lines that this idea will not exhibit its
full effects without quality assurance. It is only
when stable production is possible, that is,
when it is possible to reduce margins, that the
flexible response of being able to reallocate
surplus capacity to the manufacture of other
products will become possible.
Thus we must ask, what is it that is required
for quality assurance? What I see as most
important is the “concentration of characteristic
features.” We must suppress sample-to-sample
variations, not only for device characteristics,
but for equipment parameter control
as well, and increase the degree of concentration.
This is analogous to a baseball
pitcher being able to throw the ball where intended.
If the customer’s requirements are the
strike zone, it is not adequate for the result to
be that the product is merely somewhere in
that zone, but rather we must learn to achieve
precise control within the strike zone. Variations
must be eliminated. If the pitcher
achieves that, then he’ll never walk a batter.
Semiconductor manufacturing is the same. By
increasing the concentration of characteristics,
it naturally follows that the quality will increase
and yields improve.
We must now bring forth our knowledge of
innovative manufacturing. I hope that we will
use this knowledge to contribute to our customers’
business.
Kumamoto Technology Center Building 2 Concepts
 |
Hiromi Suzuki
Senior General Manager
IS Products Div.
Sony Semiconductor Kyushu
Corporation |
In the new building, we have adopted the latest leading-edge
equipment optimized for image sensor manufacturing and we
will supply high-performance, high-quality image sensors to
our customers.
Although other companies have adopted systems such as EES
and APC, Sony’s unique know-how is infused into the core
section, which consists of discovering relationships between
the large amount of data acquired from the equipment and
product quality and product characteristics, and determines
to what extent this can contribute to improving final product
quality. The key to differentiation in future semiconductor
manufacturing lines will lie in intelligent systems in which automation and this
sort of quality improvement support system and high-precision production management
system are organically connected, and in the skills of manufacturing staff
and engineers who can make full use of these systems.
At Sony, we are making steady progress in nurturing such human resources, and
will continue to strive to create manufacturing lines that will define the industry’s
top level. |
Environment Protection Activities Based on Regional Characteristics
Groundwater Recharging Program |
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Returning the water we use to nature.
Since May 2003, Kumamoto Technology Center has been operating a groundwater
recharging program in cooperation with local environmental NGOs, farming groups,
farmers’ cooperatives, and other groups.
The rice fields in the area around Kumamoto Technology Center are so permeable to
water that they are called “sieve fields.” Using this property, water is returned to the
local aquifer by redirecting water from the Shirakawa river to rice paddies during
seasons rice is not grown and to fields that are not being used. In fiscal 2006, the
amount of groundwater in the aquifer reached 1.9 million tons and exceeded Kumamoto
Technology Center’s annual water usage (1.45 million tons).
Winning the Fourth “The Asahi Corporate Citizen Award”
The Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation groundwater recharging program
received The Asahi Shimbun Company’s fourth “The Asahi Corporate Citizen
Award”, which recognizes corporate activities that contribute to society. This
award was created in 2004 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the founding
of The Asahi Shimbun Company and of the 171 candidates that responded
to call for participation, four companies and organizations were selected.
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all articles with figures and tables.  |
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Vol.50 |
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