Biodegradable computer chip sounds like a fantasy, but there is a brand new chip just want to achieve this goal. Scientists hope the chip can be used in electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets - millions of tons of e-waste generated each year worldwide, and if such innovation can be achieved, it will help to ameliorate the situation.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the USDA Forest Products Laboratory have formed a team that specializes in the production of new chips using wood extracts. We have used wood fiber to make recycled paper. By breaking down these fibers into nanomaterials, researchers can make biodegradable flexible "papers" made of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs).
With a thickness of only 200 micrometers, CNF can provide an environmentally-friendly alternative to substrates used in microwave devices for wireless devices. In order to ensure that the chip part can be combined with the new substrate, CNF needs to have a smooth surface. And because the wood absorbs moisture and swells, the team also adds an epoxy coating that can both solve the problem without sacrificing biodegradability.
"The vast majority of materials in the chip are supports, with everything else being a few microns," said Zhenquiang Ma, a research team leader and professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
To complete the project, Zhenquiang Ma's team fabricated electronic components of the chip on a temporary substrate and then transferred those parts to the CNF using "rubber-stamping," often used for flexible electronic components. Test results show that these new chips and mobile phones and tablet computers commonly used wireless communication chip similar effect. In addition, this approach also reduces the amount of semiconductor materials used, is expected to reduce chip development costs.
The tests also showed that the chip was degradable and eventually integrated into the ground. "The chips are now very safe and can be thrown directly into the forest and the fungi will gradually degrade them," Zhenquiang Ma said. "They're just as safe as fertilizer."
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