Self-healing circuits could reduce electronic waste

Manual repair of failed microchips is often impossible. The new self-healing system will mean reduction in number of circuits discarded. 

Engineers at the University of Illinois have developed a self-healing system that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit. The researchers published their results in the journal Advanced Materials.

The material is designed to take care of the problem of circuit failure due to overheating or other causes.

Jeffrey Moore, a co-author of the paper, explained: “Rather than having to build in redundancies or a sensory diagnostics system, this material is designed to take care of the problem itself.”

With the present state of electronics requiring as much density on a chip as possible, there is little possibility of manual repair when a multi-layer integrated circuit fails. The usual solution today is to replace the circuit.

The new system works by dispersing microcapsules of just 10 microns diameter along the lines of the circuit. As a crack opens up, the microcapsules break open and release liquid metal to fill the gaps, restoring electrical flow. The process is virtually instantaneous, with conductivity restored in microseconds.

Another benefit of the system is its autonomy: it requires no human intervention or diagnostics. As soon as a break occurs, the system repairs it.   

Further testing will be done to refine the system, but it’s possible that this new invention could lead to a massive reduction in the amount of electronic waste generated as a result of electronic faults.