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Lead-Free and Halogen-Free Products
Lead-Free Products
Small amounts of lead have traditionally been used in micro-electronic components in the electronics industry. When managed inappropriately, lead can potentially be harmful to the environment and public health. As part of our broad commitment to environmental sustainability, Intel has worked with suppliers and other companies in the semiconductor and electronics industry to develop lead-free materials and processes.
Over the last 10 years, Intel has reduced the use of lead by 95 percent across all product lines and 100 percent in selected and regulated products. To replace the remaining 5 percent of lead solder in processor packages, Intel is using a tin/silver/copper alloy and new assembly manufacturing processes developed by Intel engineers.
Halogen-Free Products
Although legislation does not require the elimination of Halogenated Flame Retardants (HFR) from our products, Intel has taken proactive steps over the past few years to eliminate the use of these materials. In 2008 we began converting to halogen-free packaging technology for our CPU and chipset products and expect that most of our 45nm processors will use halogen-free packaging technology by the end of 2008. We took these proactive actions because HFR materials can be difficult to recycle and potentially harmful if inhaled during incineration. These materials have been used as fire retardants in electronic components and printed circuit boards throughout the industry for several decades.