Environmental challenges in nanoelectronics manufacturing

Manufacturing in nanoscale is not a simple extrapolation of the current and conventional manufacturing practices. The shift to nanoscale creates both major issues as well as significant opportunities in performance, cost, and environmental impact for the electronics industry. This article focuses on both the positive and the negative environmental impacts of this inevitable paradigm change. The inter-relationship between the three sustainability factors (performance, cost, and environmental impact) for future electronics manufacturing will be analyzed. In particular, the challenges related to resource requirements and utilization (water, energy, and chemicals) are discussed. Examples of unique opportunities for environmental gain that nanoscale manufacturing can provide are presented.

► The key sustainability factors are performance, cost, and ESH impact.
► The ESH impact of nanomaterials depends on the processing path of these materials.
► Proactive consideration of ESH in the early stages of R/D is cost effective.