ISTFA Keynote Speaker: Steven Herschbein, Independent Consultant, (IBM/GFS Retired)

Wednesday, November 19, 2025: 10:30 AM-11:30 AM
Exhibit Hall A&B - Industry Exchange (Pasadena Convention Center)
The CHIPS Act and its Impact on the U.S. Semiconductor Industry, the overall Economy, and Analytical Labs

Major disruptions in the restart and the ensuing supply chain issues and critical shortages in the wake of the COVID Pandemic led the US Congress to finally formulate a program to help stabilize the semiconductor industry. Direct aid and incentive programs by several US States served as a model for Federal action, and the US CHIPS Act was signed into law in 2022. By late 2023 NOFO’s (Notice of Funding Opportunities) for corporate onshoring/restructuring and the creation of a National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology (Natcast) were in place. By the closeout of the last administration at end of January, 2025, most of the original funding allocation had been pledged, and a good portion had gone to contract. Multiple research grants and adjunct programs were initiated, along with site announcements and structure for the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP). Despite new questions by the incoming administration about the future of spending what Congress approved, most programs did initially continue to move forward. While all of the above was indeed good news, ASM’s EDFAS has expressed deep concerns that analytical techniques have historically not kept pace with rapidly advancing microchip design and assembly. Funding naturally flows to R&D and manufacturing, with a disproportionally small amount to laboratory sciences. After 2+ years of trying to convey this, the new Natcast R&D director issued queries for comprehensive Physical Failure Analysis and Electrical Fault Isolation development proposals, and the EDFAS Failure Analysis Gaps Council responded. In better times, this could have resulted in an organized national effort to improve analytical tools, techniques, and the incorporation of AI into the process.
Unfortunately, executive action as the year progressed has stalled progress in several key areas. This includes dissolution of Natcast and the reallocation of $7.3B, placing construction of the NSTC and NAPMP in jeopardy. Whether Commerce/NIST can manage these programs in the wake of significant skilled leadership losses remains to be seen. The status of the FA proposals is unknown. The final series of incentive grants to a number of small but critical semiconductor suppliers remains on hold. The US Government shutdown only complicates a complex issue. This is very much a study in continuously evolving current events!

Biography: Steve claims to be retired after 47 years in Microelectronics, but still dabbles as an independent consultant. He remains an active member of EDFAS, committed to the development of next generation analytical laboratory tooling to keep pace with evolving semiconductor process technology. In this role he has addressed the CHIPS for America R&D Program Office on the need for funding models that actively support new FA methodologies, equipment and education. Prior to his 2021 retirement he served as the Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Chip Circuit Edit team leader at GlobalFoundries and IBM Microelectronics, and has been heavily involved in FIB tooling, applications & development for over 25 years. Before venturing into FIB, he worked in wafer fab processing, chip & package reliability, and electrical and physical FA at IBM, Harris Semiconductor, MOSTEK & Fairchild Semiconductor. In addition to Lab oriented activity, Steve was an early industry player in the effort to bring FIB technology into the 300mm fab line for defect review, process monitoring and metrology applications. Steve holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY. He has 12 US Patents, presented 17 ASM & IEEE juried symposium papers, and 25+ FIB tutorials and general technology conference lectures.
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