**1. Introduction**

From the problem conception in terms of a functional demand to finding a solution, the designing and making of the product, its manufacturing and marketing, to taking social responsibility, technological innovation is a complex problem-solving process, requiring the cooperation of a chain of different industries and experts. For example, the semiconductor industry was formed around 1960 and consists of an aggregate of companies engaged in the design and fabrication of semiconductors and semiconductor devices, such as transistors and integrated circuits (IC). It is in turn the driving force behind the wider electronics industry for such products as power electronics, consumer electronics, and e-commerce. The semiconductor market segments include networks and communications devices. A need for technological innovation in the IC manufacturing industry may be driven by demands or orders from the users, the IC design, the IC fabrication and manufacturing, IC packaging and testing, logistical supports to deliver products to customers, and user services. The size of silicon wafers determines how many IC can be produced per wafer in

IC manufacturing. The semiconductor industry has been continuously striving to increase the wafer size. Although foundries used to produce 3-inch wafers, today's common wafer size is 12 inches. Increasing wafer size is not a trivial process. In fact, silicon wafer manufacturing technologies have to be re-designed and re-engineered in order to increase the wafer size. Innovation is a common daily demand of all companies involved [1].

The CDIO theory proposed by Crawley and colleagues [2, 3] for improving engineering education pinpoints 4 critical phases in technological innovation, whether it is a new product, procedure, or system [4]:

#### **1.1 Conceptualization**

The need for a certain functional requirement of a product/system that is meaningful and valuable to the society is sensed, such as how to reduce CO2 emissions from the production process. This raises a design problem, the next phase of innovation.

### **1.2 Design**

The initial functional requirement is abstract in nature. It must be developed into the tangible possible designs of a physical device or system. Based on the design of the current product, the industrial designer may sketch several different designs of how the product/system will look like when new functional requirements are added. The most promising design is chosen, given current technological constraints, and a prototype is constructed.

#### **1.3 Implementation**

A prototype is merely a conceptual design presented in 3D. How the prototype of a conceived new product or system can be physically realized must be studied and implemented by a team of RD workers and engineers. That means various components of the product will be made, assembled, and contextualized into a real product that can work in a specified context.
