IBM announces phase-out of toxic compounds

New York: IBM announced that it has eliminated the use of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) compounds from its chip manufacturing processes, making it the first company to do so. The two compounds are known to be toxic to humans and wildlife, persist in the environment and build up in human bodies.

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IBM's move was part of a larger design for environmental program that drives the company to make products that are environmentally friendly, energy efficient, reusable, recyclable and safely disposable. It took several years for the company to eliminate all known uses of PFOS and PFOA, which are used specifically to both imprint designs and embed patterns on silicon chips.

First the company banned PFOS and PFOA use in 2005 in terms of the development of new materials. Then in 2007, IBM prohibited their use in new manufacturing applications and set an overarching goal of completely eliminating all uses by 2010. By late 2008, the company had succeeded in phasing out PFOS and PFOA in the wet etch processes. Working with suppliers enabled IBM to eliminate the compounds in its photolithography processes by late January.

"Developing alternatives for these chemicals were an ambitious technological challenge," said Michael Cadigan, IBM's General Manager of Microelectronics. Use of the compounds is allowed in semiconductor manufacturing, but several countries, including the U.S. and European Union, have moved to restrict their use as a stain or water repellant in consumer products because they are bioaccumulative and persistent.