Phosphorus compound failure could affect millions of chips

AN OBSCURE WARNING on a Web site has possible ramifications for the entire computer industry, it has emerged.

Maxim Integrated Products issued a warning at the beginning of this month to its own customers, "and to the industry", that phosphorus-based compound, added to chips around 1996, are now showing signs of potential degradation.

The warning claims that Sumitomo's EMExxxxU Series moulding compound included phosphorus particles "in response to popular political pressure" in an attempt to create a "more environmentally friendly material".

But that decision was made without knowing what impact the phosphorus particles would have on products.

And Maxim claims in the notice that the compound is now "associated with failures in products across the industry".

Apparently, a side effect of the compound is that silver dendrite grows between adjacent pins and causes high resistance short circuits between them.

It adds: "Millions of units were shipped by the industry containing the... molding compound before the problem was known".

The compound using phosphorus particles has been used in millions of ICs (integrated circuits) since 1996.

Sumitomo, it continues, claims there's no conclusive results that its compound is the cause of the failure.

However, it adds, circumstantial evidence suggests "there is a causal relationship".

Maxim said that it has demanded that its own assemblers stop using this compound in their own products.

Eek!

The PDF in question is here. µ

* INQBLOT. THE ELEMENT PHOSPHORUS was discovered by an alchemist, Brandt, who for some reason known to himself decided to boil up gallons of his own wee and when it was reduced to slurry noted it both glowed in the dark and caught fire spontaneously. The Devil's Element.