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The 1.7 Kilogram Microchip. Authors: Eric D. Williams, Robert U. Ayres, and Miriam Heller Published by t he American Chemical Society Presented by Drew McLean. Life Cycle Assessment.
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The 1.7 Kilogram Microchip Authors: Eric D. Williams, Robert U. Ayres, and Miriam Heller Published by the American Chemical Society Presented by Drew McLean
Life Cycle Assessment • LCA is a technique used to assess the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product, process, or service. This is done by: • Compiling an inventory of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental releases • Evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with identified inputs and releases • Interpreting the results to help you make a more informed decision
Sustainability Issue Findings 1. Chemical Consumption • Environmental impacts on air, water, and ground systems • Nearly all chemicals used in semiconductor processing do not end up on the final product • Chemical use: 9-610g per cm2 of silicon wafer • Emissions: 1.2-160g per cm2 of silicon wafer
Sustainability Issue Findings (cont’d) 2. Energy Consumption: Electricity & Fossil Fuel International Semiconductor reports that: • 50%: Cleanroom Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning • 30-40%: Wafer processing tools • 285kWh of electricity required to fabricate one 150mm wafer. • JEIDA report 83% of total energy consumption is electricity. The remaining 17% being a mix of heavy oil, gas and kerosene.
Sustainability Issue Findings (cont’d) 3. Water Consumption • High purity water required during the semiconductor manufacturing process. • Water is purified on site to remove bacteria, organics, dissolved minerals etc. • Typical 6inch wafer processing 40,000 wafers per month consumes 2-3 millions of gallons per day
Example: 32MB DRAM Microchip • Package / Die Size: 1.0cm x 2.7cm / 1.2cm2 • Weight: 2.0g Material and Energy Consumption: • Fossil Fuel Input: 1200g • Fossil Fuel Input while in use: 440g • Chemicals: 72g
What are the concerns from a sustainability perspective? • There is a limited amount of publicly available literature relevant to materials analysis of the semiconductor industry • There are huge environmental impacts on the environment due to the high amounts resources being used