The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: Microchips, CFC's and the Ozone Layer
Because electronics manufacturing is set in sterile surroundings and requires the use of delicate components, it may be hard to imagine that is has global environmental consequences. But the industry's dependence on chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC's, ...
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: Obsolete Computers and the Environment
Throughout the 1960's and 70's, mainframe computers were expected to have long, useful lives. But with rapid advances in technology, and the phenomenal growth of the personal computer, yesterday's million-dollar computers are now only valuable as s...
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: Microchip Fabrication and the Environment
Semiconductor fabrication requires an ultra-pure environment. Delicate components are washed and rinsed at each stage, making this a water intensive process. Semiconductor manufacturing is also a chemical intensive industry. Many companies are ac...
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: Microchip Design and Production
The complex circuitry of a microchip appears flat and one dimensional but, in reality, it can have as many as twenty layers. The starting point for what ends up looking like a miniature electronic city is pure silicon, grown from seed crystals. As...
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: History of the Microchip
The quest for a compact, solid state unit that could perform complicated operations quickly led to the development of integrated circuits (also known as semiconductors or microchips) in the early 1960's. The power of these microchips has increased ...