Cl-Containing Microplastics from the Environment

Abstract

One of the critical process steps in the assembly of integrated circuits is the making of the connection between the silicon chip and the outside world. This is done by a thermo-sonic welding process of sometimes more than 800 copper wires to the aluminum bond pads. The Al-Cu intermetallic compound formed during this process is sensitive for trace amount of chloride from the environment. It is found that Cl-containing microplastics are the source of this chloride and further analyzing these particles helps to identify the origin of these particles.