Investigation of Semiconductor Die Area as a Reference Variable for LCA

The environmental impact of many information and communication devices is driven by the electronic components and in particular the fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuits. The area of the semiconductor dies and their fabrication technology node are decisive variables for the environmental impact of electronic products and systems. In life cycle assessment studies, incorrectly estimated semiconductor die area can introduce a large error into the results for the whole product. To address this challenge, we describe a process for die area identification through imaging and decapping, present die-to-package ratios based on direct measurement or radiographic imaging of 189 chips, supported by a literature research on die areas and silicon content of ICs from data sheets, technology descriptions, and scientific literature. This work should help LCA practitioners to determine the die area of individual ICs as well as entire printed circuit board assemblies more accurately and encourage chip manufacturers to share more data on the silicon content of their semiconductor devices.