Legislation ImpactsLegislation Impactsonon

Materials Choices in Electronics Materials Choices in Electronics ManufacturingManufacturing

Martin Goosey

Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre

Loughborough University

The IeMRC Mission

To establish a ‘Centre of Expertise’ through

which UK industry can access and influence

research in electronics manufacturing

To establish a ‘Centre of Expertise’ through

which UK industry can access and influence

research in electronics manufacturing

The Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre (IeMRC)

• Established in 2005

• Allocated £5 million to support research in UK academia

• Strong industrial input in setting research agenda

• Currently supporting more than 30 projects

• Most projects have a significant industrial input

• One key theme of our work is ‘‘sustainabilitysustainability’

Introduction to Sustainability

‘Meeting the needs of the present generations without

compromising the ability of future generations to

meet their own needs’

The World Commission on Environment & Development

Sustainability - Business Context

For businesses, sustainable development means;

‘adopting strategies and activities that meet the needs

of the enterprise and its stakeholders today while

protecting, sustaining and enhancing the human and

natural resources that will be needed in the future’

Electronics and Sustainability

• Electronics are essential to the modern way of life

• Traditionally, the electronics industry has not been

regarded as operating sustainably;

– hazardous materials and processes

– short product lifecycles

– waste during manufacture and energy in use

– end of life issues around waste materials, pollution etc

Producer Responsibility Legislation

• EC drive to achieve more sustainable resource use and

a reduction in waste going to landfill

• Aims to divert end of life products for re-use, recycling or

other forms of recovery

• Producer responsibility is an extension of the ‘polluter

pays’ principle

• Places responsibility for end of life management on the

original producer

Producer Responsibility

Producer responsibility aims to encourage producers to

design products that:

– reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous materials

– use greater amounts of recyclate

– can be more easily treated at end of life

– minimise waste

– can be reused

– use fewer resources

Examples of Specific Legislation

Various Directives and Regulations aimed at implementing

Producer Responsibility in the electronics area;

– WEEE Directive

– RoHS Directive

– Energy using Products Directive

– REACH Regulations

– Batteries and Accumulators Directive

– Packaging Waste Regulations

– End of Life Vehicles Directive

Influence of Legislation on Materials

• This growing portfolio of legislation is having a significant

impact on the materials that can be used in electronics

• The RoHS Directive brought about the move to lead-free

assembly in Europe AND the rest of the world

• It also proscribed several other substances and had

implications on materials choices

• New materials are required for lead-free products

• There is also growing pressure on the use of brominated

flame retardants and other useful organic materials

Electronics, Materials and Sustainability

Flame retardants Lead

Cadmium

Mercury

ChromiumPhthalates

ArsenicAntimony

Example: PCB Materials for Lead-free

• Lead-free assembly means higher soldering temperatures

• Higher soldering temperatures can have a number of

impacts;

- increased stresses/thermal expansion issues

- thermal degradation of materials

- reliability and performance issues

- new and enhanced failure mechanisms

Example: PCB Materials for Lead-free

• Increase Tg to reduce overall thermal expansion

• Increase thermal stability, Td, for lead-free soldering

temperature compatibility and multiple solder cycles

• Use alternative curing agents eg replace dicyandiamide

with novolac resins

• Replacing TBBPA can also enhance thermal stability and

give better environmental credentials

Influence of laminate choice on desmear

As Drilled/Received Desmeared

Standard FR4 ie Tg 135-150°C

Influence of laminate choice on desmearDesmeared High Tg Material

Impact of Bromine and Nitrogen in PCBs

• Traditional PCB laminates are dicyandiamide cured

epoxides with added TBBPA flame retardant

• Both materials have a negative impact on thermal stability

• They help facilitate the thermal decomposition of epoxies

• Removal of both improves stability

• Removal of bromine has greatest impact

Influence of Legislation on Material Choices

• Legislation is forcing the removal of hazardous materials

and their replacement with new more benign ones

• However, the legislation also has a broader focus on

making us all behave in a more sustainable manner

• Electronic goods are increasingly treated as low-cost,

commodity items that are discarded before end of life

• A waste of valuable resources

• Need to recover more materials

Influence of Legislation on Material Choices

• Legislation is setting targets for recycling and recovery of

materials and these are likely to become stricter

• Recycling is easier if fewer types of materials are used

and if they contain no hazardous substances

• Need for more plastic recycling

• Requires new technologies and materials

The Legislation is Spreading Globally

• China has introduced its own RoHS legislation – same

list of materials but a different way of administering

• California RoHS – same metals but limited number of

products, mainly around those with displays

• Others include Korea, Taiwan, Canada and several Latin

American countries

• More in the process of implementing

The Legislation is Expanding Materially

• Norway’s proposed ‘Super RoHS’ or PoHS – includes 18

substances 16 of which are different to RoHS

• An EU RoHS substance review is currently being

undertaken by the Oko Institut in Germany

• A list of 46 substances has been drawn up for scrutiny

• These are similar to the materials likely to require

authorisation under the REACH regulations

• Convergence of RoHS and REACH?

Materials Opportunities

• Replacement of traditional materials with new ones can

make products more sustainable and more profitable whilst

offering enhanced performance

• Removal of hazardous materials makes recycling easier

• Use of fewer types of materials helps simplify recycling

• Emerging alternatives to non-renewable materials

- biopolymers and degradable materials

- NEC’s shape memory modified PLA

Electronics Repurposing

Convert existing electronics to a new multiuse module

Summary and Conclusions

• Producer responsibility legislation is having an impact on

materials choices in electronics manufacturing

• The drive is to eliminate the use of hazardous materials

…... and to encourage materials recovery and recycling

• There are opportunities for new materials and processes

• The overall aim is to make electronics more sustainable

Legislation Impacts on Materials Legislation Impacts on Materials Choices in Electronics Choices in Electronics

ManufacturingManufacturing

Martin Goosey

Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre

Loughborough University