As energy and water usage in the semiconductor industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12% and 8%, respectively, between 2025-2035, efficient management strategies are crucial. The electronics market is vast, with integrated circuits (ICs) being the third most traded product globally, presenting significant opportunities for sustainable electronics innovation.
Energy usage is set to triple and water usage is set to double for semiconductor manufacturing between 2025 and 2035. Source: IDTechEx
Conventional electronics manufacturing is extremely wasteful, with many harmful chemicals, materials, and manufacturing processes. This report explores the environmental impact of manufacturing PCBs and ICs, highlighting opportunities to mitigate potential environmental damage. These include low-temperature processing, optimization or elimination of superfluous wasteful steps, recycling and re-using materials (where possible), and adoption of novel approaches with the potential to replace conventional manufacturing steps. PCB substrate materials are analyzed, including biodegradable and recyclable materials, which could provide long-term alternatives to currently dominant FR4. These include substrates and technologies by JIVA, SYTech, VTT, and In2Tec.
Action currently being undertaken by many well-known electronics manufacturers to improve the sustainability and efficiency of their products is also explored. These include Samsung, TSMC, GlobalFoundries, and Intel, among many others. This includes water management strategies for semiconductor manufacturing, with over 500 billion liters of water used annually by the industry.
Manufacturing methods covered in this report
The report assesses sustainable methods of electronics manufacturing, concentrating on innovations within PCBs and ICs. The report evaluates how sustainable innovation can drive forward a new era of green electronics, covering different materials and manufacturing processes that can deliver effective long-term sustainability improvements. Each key stage of the value chain for PCB and IC manufacturing is examined, identifying areas that can benefit most from innovation. These are compared not just in terms of emissions, materials, and water consumption but also in terms of scalability and cost to implement. For ICs, it covers wafer preparation from ingots, wafer oxidation, etching, photolithography, surface doping, metallization, packaging, and water management. For PCBs, the report covers design options, substrate choices, patterning and metallization, and component attachment materials and processes. End-of-life technologies and processes for all electronic devices are also explored.
Map of global supply chains for semiconductor manufacturing. Source: IDTechEx
Innovations in sustainable electronics are critical
Barriers to sustainable electronics remain, such as capital costs and the complexity of the integration of new methods into existing manufacturing techniques. A key driver for green electronics will be legislation, which is described in detail in the report. This includes new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and digital product passports (DPP) legislation coming into effect in Europe. Existing and upcoming legislation in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region is also described. Whilst 90% of PCBs are manufactured in the APAC region, the electronics supply chain flows globally, resulting in localized legislation having a global impact. As emissions from the electronics manufacturing industry grows, action to adopt sustainable electronics manufacturing is vital.
Source: idtechex.com