SK hynix was invited to speak at the event by the SCC², an organization under SEMI, to share its efforts in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As an SCC co-founder, SK hynix has actively collaborated with leading industry players to create a sustainable semiconductor value chain and set new heights in green practices.

¹Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI): An international industry association consisting of global semiconductor equipment and materials manufacturers which aims to advance industry collaboration and growth.
²Semiconductor Climate Consortium (SCC): The first global consultative body formed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the semiconductor value chain. Its members include semiconductor companies in the material, component, equipment, and manufacturing fields, including SK hynix, and global ICT companies.

SK hynix presented its “Journey to Decarbonization” plan at SEMICON West 2024

The Road to Decarbonization

As demand for high-performance memory rises in line with the growth of advanced technologies such as AI, the semiconductor industry faces the challenge of increasing production while improving its sustainability. In particular, semiconductor companies are focusing on methods to cut GHG emissions.

In a bid to improve company-wide strategies for reducing GHG emissions, SK hynix established its Carbon Management Committee (CMC) in 2022. The committee leads various initiatives such as developing low-power equipment, reducing process gases, and cutting energy consumption. On a broader level, the company collaborates with suppliers and industry players to adapt sustainable practices. The company’s multi-faceted approach to sustainability is set to be crucial as it looks to reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3³ emissions.

³Scope 1, 2 and 3: Scope 1 refers to direct emissions generated in the production stage, while Scope 2 describes indirect energy-related emissions generated in the process of making electricity or steam used in the workplace. Scope 3 are indirect emissions which occur in an organization’s value chain.

At SEMICON West 2024, SK hynix’s presentation focused on its efforts to reduce Scope 1 and 3 emissions. Jonghwan Lee of Etch Diffusion Thin Film Water (EDTW) Material Development and Jaehoon Jang of Climate Action took to the stage on the second day of the conference for the talk.

Fostering a Sustainable Semiconductor Ecosystem

During Jang’s part of the presentation, he highlighted SK hynix’s efforts to address Scope 3 emissions through industry collaborations. Working with suppliers and other players, the company develops sustainable technologies and methods across the industry supply chain. As a CDP⁴ Supply Chain member since 2022, SK hynix encourages its suppliers to disclose environmental data and reports. In 2023, the company ensured that 84% of 114 suppliers shared the requested data as part of the CDP Supply Chain Program. In addition, the company supported suppliers in setting and achieving climate change response goals.

⁴CDP: Previously known as the Climate Disclosure Project, CDP is a non-profit organization which assists and guides organizations in setting up strategies and implementing sustainable practices.

SK hynix ensures the majority of its suppliers participate in the CDP Supply Chain Program

Jang also touched on SK hynix’s creation of ECO Alliance, a coalition dedicated to reducing GHG emissions in the company’s supply chain. Launched in 2019 with 31 first-tier suppliers, ECO Alliance expanded to include 47 companies by 2023. Some of its main activities include setting joint GHG reduction targets, participating in the aforementioned CDP Supply Chain program, and hosting workshops where members share best practices and meet potential collaborators.

In 2022, SK hynix announced joint targets for ECO Alliance members related to sustainable practices including GHG reduction. As the company provided tailored one-on-one consulting to members, 39 out of the 47 member companies were able to set at least one target aligned with the joint targets in 2023.

Jang shares how SK hynix has become a global leader in fostering sustainable industry practices

Three-Pronged Approach to Cutting Emissions

For his part of the presentation, Lee focused on three of SK hynix’s efforts to reduce its Scope 1 emissions. At semiconductor fabs, high GWP⁵ process gases account for the majority of Scope 1 emissions so it is vital to optimize them and adopt alternative gases. These two initiatives, along with enhancing scrubber⁶ treatment efficiency, were the central points of Lee’s talk.

⁵Global warming potential (GWP): A measure of how much energy the emissions of 1 ton of a gas will absorb over a given period relative to the emissions of 1 ton of carbon dioxide.
⁶Scrubber: Equipment that filters and treats waste gases generated during the semiconductor manufacturing process.

SK hynix has seen positive results in developing alternative gases by engaging in three-way collaborations with material and equipment partners. In 2023, the company successfully applied alternative gases with a lower GWP to some processes while not compromising product quality. Building on this achievement, the company is currently testing more than 15 alternative gases for future application in processes.

Lee also covered some of SK hynix’s approaches to optimizing process gas usage. The company is enhancing the process time and gas flow rate during the etching process and optimizing the gas used for cleaning equipment during the thin film and diffusion processes. Furthermore, SK hynix has reduced the use of nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), a key contributor to the company’s Scope 1 emissions, by optimizing cleaning processes involving the gas. In total, the number of SK hynix’s optimization cases for thin film and diffusion processes have increased 12-fold since 2022, leading to a more than three-fold reduction in GHG emissions over the same period.

SK hynix’s optimization cases for thin film and diffusion processes have risen sharply in recent years

The presentation also covered SK hynix’s efforts to enhance the efficiency of scrubbers that remove gases and compounds generated during semiconductor processes. The company has set a goal to increase its scrubber treatment efficiency to 95% by 2030, up from 93% recorded in 2023. To achieve this, the company is working on various initiatives such as developing new equipment to reduce scrubbers’ water and power consumption and enabling a single scrubber to treat gases from multiple pieces of equipment.

Overall, the transition to alternative gases, optimization of gas usage, and improvements in scrubber treatment efficiency are projected to help SK hynix realize a 73% reduction in Scope 1 emissions by 2050.

Lee gives an overview of how SK hynix is reducing its Scope 1 emissions

A Greener Industry is Possible Together

At SEMICON West 2024, SK hynix underlined its position as a key driving force behind initiatives which reduce GHG emissions in the semiconductor industry. From the company’s innovative approaches to cut direct emissions to the collaborations for reducing emissions throughout the supply chain, SK hynix is a leading light in the sector’s sustainability efforts. Looking ahead, the company remains committed to developing technologies and collaborating with the semiconductor community as it continues its journey to decarbonization.

The post SK hynix Presents Its “Journey to Decarbonization” at SEMICON West 2024 first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing the international community, and SK hynix is proactive in our response. SK hynix continuously monitors global and regional climate change trends and their impact on both the company and the communities. SK hynix also regularly reports on greenhouse gas emissions, latest achievements against mid- and long-term goals, and the results of our energy efficiency efforts.

Greenhouse gases related to climate change are directly discharged through gases used in the semiconductor manufacturing processes, and the volume of indirect emissions is also substantial depending on the energy used.

Outlining SK hynix’s Efforts and Strategies

SK hynix has been collaborating with local governments and communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, through the enactment of related laws such as “Sustainable Development Act,” “Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth,” and “Act on the Allocation and Trading of Greenhouse-Gas Emission Permits,” South Korean government has set national greenhouse gas reduction objectives, making notable efforts to comply with the guidelines set by the international community. To encourage reducing emissions, the government has set reduction targets within a certain period of time for each industrial sector and assigned quotas to companies.

The quotas allocated by the government are based on existing operating facilities and newly established facilities, and reduction efforts are carried out for each emission source. Sources of greenhouse gas emissions can be classified in many ways with different criteria, but for the most part, they can be divided into two categories: direct emission sources and indirect emission sources.

Figure 1. Six Major Greenhouse Gases

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Direct emission sources¹ include the combustion of fuel from boilers and vehicles as well as and emissions from the process gases (PFC, SF6, etc.) used in the production of semiconductors. When it comes to indirect emission sources², greenhouse gases are emitted in the production stage rather than the consumption stage, like in electric power or steam.

Chart. 1 Major Cases of Energy Efficiency Improvement

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SK hynix is taking great strides to reduce direct emission sources, especially for process gases. These are gases with a very high level of global warming potential (GWP)³ – several hundred to tens of thousands of times higher than that of carbon dioxide (CO2). SK hynix installs and operates greenhouse gas reduction devices before discharging these gases into the atmosphere, drastically reducing total greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, process gas emissions account for only around 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions of the company.

Figure. 2 Chemical Reaction of PFCs Gas Treatment

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Indirect emissions are the largest source of emissions by SK hynix, most of which are caused by electricity usage. To reduce electricity usage, SK hynix is actively introducing low-power equipment, and by applying the energy management system ISO50001, the company is enhancing energy efficiency and improving energy management related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Aiming for more

In our “2022 ECO Vision”, SK hynix has outlined a series of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through continuous efforts across our operations. SK hynix intends to lead the way for low-carbon semiconductor production plants by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% (compared to the business-as-usual⁴ level in 2016) by 2022. With continued efforts through 2030, SK hynix plans to become a global leader in climate action over the next decade.

¹Direct emissions: direct emissions of the six major greenhouse gases
²Indirect emissions: emissions resulted from electricity consumption
³Global Warming Potential (GWP): the heat absorbed by any greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, as a multiple of the heat that would be absorbed by the same mass of carbon dioxide (CO2). GWP is 1 for CO2. For other gases it depends on the gas and the time frame
⁴Business-as-usual (BAU): Total projected amount of emissions without any artificial measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The post For Eco-friendly Memory Chips: SK hynix’s Milestone for Green Emission first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.