LEAPFROG-a manufacturing and EHS partnership

LEAPFROG is the title of a program at Intel Corporation which addresses concerns about hazardous chemicals in semiconductor manufacturing processes by dealing with them at the emerging technology stage. One aspect of the program is to incorporate environmental, health, and safety (EHS) design parameters into each new technology development plan. The goal is for each resulting process to have minimal EHS risk due to chemical use. Another aspect of LEAPFROG targets specific hazardous chemicals in existing processes, and endeavors to mitigate these problems through development of process alternatives. The author discusses the program structure, implementation, and some resulting experiences from an environmental perspective