Chip giant Infineon Technology has announced that it will collaborate with Jiva Materials to launch a demonstration and evaluation board for recyclable and biodegradable printed circuit board (PCB) substrates based on natural fibers and halogen-free polymers, which will help reduce the carbon footprint of the electronics industry and make important contributions to sustainable design testing in the electronics industry.

Soluble in 90 ℃ hot water, reducing carbon emissions by 60%

It is reported that the PCB substrate used by Soluboard is developed by Jiva Materials, a startup based in Waterlooville, Hampshire, UK. The material is made of natural fibers, with a much lower carbon footprint than traditional glass fiber reinforced epoxy laminates. Its organic structure is encapsulated in non-toxic polymers, which dissolve when immersed in hot water, leaving only compostable organic materials.

This not only eliminates PCB waste and pollution, but also allows electronic components welded to the PCB board to be better recycled and reused.

Dr. Jonathan Swanston, CEO and co-founder of Jiva Materials, said, "The use of water-based recycling processes can improve the recovery rate of precious metals

In addition, replacing FR-4 PCB material with Soluboard will result in a 60% reduction in carbon emissions. More specifically, each square meter of PCB can save 10.5 kilograms of carbon and 620 grams of plastic

Dr. Jonathan Swanston stated that electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste in the world, and electronic products typically use key minerals and expensive components, but these components have a longer lifespan than circuit boards.

The current treatment method for electronic waste is to crush it and then incinerate or landfill it, which can lead to pollution. Dr. Jonathan Swanston's idea is to redesign traditional laminates for easier recycling.

Dr. Jonathan Swanston and Jack Herring, Chief Product Officer of Jiva Materials, developed degradable PC materials while studying product design at RCA in London. The two raised £ 850000 (approximately $1 million) in seed capital between 2019 and 2020 to establish Jiva Materials.

It is reported that in Soluboard, the glass fibers and epoxy resins used in traditional PCBs are replaced by natural fibers and polymers that are soluble in hot water. However, this does not mean that Soluboard will undergo "dissolution" if splashed with any liquid, but rather requires a large amount of hot water and a prolonged duration to degrade.

According to Dr. Jonathan Swanston, the Soluboard printed circuit board needs to be immersed in water at 90 ° C (near boiling point) for 30 minutes before the product can decompose.

He emphasized, "Our product has been designed and certified to survive in harsh environments and usage cases, but actually putting the device in cooking water for a considerable period of time is not part of these usage cases

After Soluboard decomposes in hot water, it can be easily recycled - metals, components, natural fibers, and polymer solutions. Polymer solutions can be treated through domestic wastewater treatment, fibers can be composted or reused, and metals and components can be recycled or reused, "said Dr. Jonathan Swanston.

Infineon is considering fully adopting Soluboard in the future

Andreas Kopp, Director of Discrete Device Product Management in Infineon's Green Industrial Power Department, said: "Recyclable and biodegradable PCB materials are being used for the first time in electronic product design for consumer and industrial applications, which is a milestone towards a green future." "We are also actively researching the reusability of discrete power devices at the end of their lifespan, which will be another important step in promoting the circular economy of the electronics industry

Infineon stated that it is using biodegradable materials to reduce the carbon footprint of demonstration and evaluation boards, and is also exploring the possibility of using this material in all circuit boards to make the electronics industry more sustainable.

Currently, Infineon has produced three different demonstration boards using Soluboard and plans to expand its product range in the coming years. And over 500 devices have been put into use, showcasing the company's power discrete device product portfolio, including a circuit board equipped with components specifically designed for refrigerator applications.

Based on the results of ongoing stress testing, Infineon plans to provide guidance for the reuse and recycling of power semiconductors removed from the Soluboard, which can significantly extend the service life of electronic components.

According to Theregister, Peter Wawer, President of Infineon's Green Industrial Power Division, stated that a small number of selected Soluboard motherboards have been shared with selected customers, and these products will be available through Infineon's established channels starting from the fourth quarter of 2023.

What are the prospects for Soluboard?

Although Soluboard claims to reduce carbon emissions by 60% and can be decomposed by hot water, which is very beneficial for the recycling of related components and metals on PCBs, the cost of Soluboard is much higher than traditional PCBs, which is about 50% to 75% higher, at least in the early stages.

Infineon is actively researching the reusability of its discrete power devices, as they did not consider this recycling method in their design.

The manufacturing scale of traditional PCB materials is very large, with an annual production of over 250 million square meters. If Soluboard were to produce on this scale, the price would be the same, "said Dr. Jonathan Swanston.

Moreover, it can be foreseen that the low pollution, potential "carbon trading", and easy recycling value brought by Soluboard manufacturing will also compensate for the cost difference to some extent.

However, another potential limitation is that Soluboard can currently only be used to manufacture printed circuit boards with single layer wiring on one or both sides, while complex products may have multiple layers of wiring and insulation layers between the wiring.

Andrew Buss, Senior Research Director for Europe at IDC, stated that any technological development that makes recycling or the use of recycled materials easier is welcome, but currently unable to support multiple layers may limit its appeal.

For most PC or server systems, the current motherboard is multi-layered, so Soluboard is currently not suitable for these products, so its market may focus on more basic PCB requirements in areas such as consumer electronics. The key lies in how many layers and how dense it can be expanded, "said Andrew Buss.

Regarding this, Dr. Jonathan Swanston stated, "Although Soluboard is currently only suitable for single-sided and double-sided printed circuit boards, it is an important market." He also added that Jiva Materials has a technical roadmap for manufacturing laminates suitable for multi-layer boards and is expected to supply the market in the coming years.

But Omdia Chief Analyst Manoj Sukumaran dismisses this and says he does not believe that such technologies will soon have any significant impact on the industry.

Other important PCB characteristics include heat dissipation, high temperature resistance, and mechanical stability (which should not easily rupture). The extent to which water-soluble materials can provide these functions is questionable, "he said.

Manoj Sukumaran stated that he also doubts whether recycling components from such circuits can generate any significant value. The cost of the collection and recycling process itself may be several times the cost of the components, "he said.

However, Manoj Sukumaran cautiously stated that he believes that Soluboard may be used in most circuit board designs in the future. It can be used for most rigid PCBs in current single-sided and double-sided commercial boards, as well as future multi-layer PCBs. It is not suitable for flexible circuit boards, "he said.