Scientists have developed a method of manufacturing a chip of wood

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) together with the Department of Agriculture Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), seeking to save mankind from the mountains of the long-lived toxic waste, разработали a method of manufacturing the semiconductor chip made almost entirely of wood. To be exact - from biodegradable cellulose nanofibrillovoy (CNF).

Currently, there is a progress in microelectronics alarming rate and constantly growing number of aging devices, from which the owners get rid just throwing them. Factory for processing of old electronics can not cope with the flow. По Statistics , in 2010 processed a total of 11% of discarded mobile devices, 17% of TV and 40% of computers.

"The bulk of the chip substrate, - said the head of the work Zhenkyan Ma. - For everything else remains no more than a few micrometers. The new devices will be so safe that they can be left in the forest, and eat fungi. They are as safe as fertilizers ».



Zhiyon Tsai of FPL is engaged in developing sustainable biodegradable nanomaterials since 2009. He explained that during normal processing of wood fibers can make paper. But if you grind them further to the nanoscale, then such materials can be solid, flexible and transparent CNF-paper.

The main tasks that need to be solved in the manufacture of the substrate of the new material - a sufficient smoothness and matching the given parameters of thermal expansion. Thanks to the special epoxy coating substrate managed to sufficiently protected from the environment in order not to absorb excess moisture from it - as it usually happens with wood.

At the same time the coating gives it the necessary smoothness. And compared with the polymers obtained from oil in CNF sufficiently small thermal expansion coefficient.

In today's wireless chip devices built using gallium arsenide - it allows them to operate at high frequencies and consume less energy. But this compound is very toxic and can cause serious harm to the environment. Chip technology on the basis of CNF can be used much less of gallium arsenide.

As the researchers note, the existing production technology for a long time and worked so much cheap. But for flexible circuits - future, and anyway, the new, more environmentally friendly technologies will be adopted by manufacturers.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/251078/