Intel dumps Flash halogens

INTEL SAYS IT HAS managed to stop using halogens in the packaging for its Flash memory for mobile phones.

The chip firm's use of halogens in chip mouldings, solder masks and the core substrate meant these bits couldn't be recycled without damaging the ozone.

Halogens are highly reactive substances that can cause severe damage to the ecosystem. That's the proper ecosystem and not some marketing term for a server farm.

It's not clear which halogens have been present in Intel's Flash packaging up until now, but the chances are its name ends in -ine.

The firm told hacks in Santa Clara it had made the change following requests from its customers.

It reckoned the move showed how much cleverer it is at packaging up Flash memory than it competitors. µ