Capsules that auto-repair circuits, chips - likely future for self-healing gadgets!

The rapid growth of the electronics industry and the spawning semi-conductors business has been at an unimaginable rate. And that has been because of the super advancement of technology. It is such technological growth that has seen electronic circuit chips get smaller and denser at the same time. The circuitry gets more intelligent and thus more complicated. This presents a great problem of reliability. A small problem in the circuitry of the chip and the whole chip becomes worthless. If this is a vital cog in the wheel, then the gadget into which the chip goes, itself becomes defunct.

Self-healing capsules

The integrated chip industry works on multilayered chips. This means that there is nothing like opening them up if they go wrong. The standard solution is to throw away the whole chip and replace it with a new one. The same holds good for batteries too. There is nothing like a battery repair. It is only discarded and replaced. Thus, there is a lot of wastage in materials, resources and finances when it comes to faulty chips.

It is to solve exactly this problem that the concept of self-healing polymers was brought on. The idea is to circumvent the need for any external diagnostics and intervention when it comes to the repair of chips. Made as tiny capsules, these self-healing polymers reside on lines of the circuit itself.

The micro-capsules, measuring less than 10 microns across, are filled with liquid metal atop a gold line that functions as a circuit. When the circuit cracks and breaks, these capsules open up and pour out the liquid gallium-indium alloy that they contain into the gap and thus restore the electrical flow. The restoration work is perfect to the extent of 99 percent in most of the cases. And the whole procedure gets done within the blink of an eye!

While other systems are building up redundancies and sensory diagnostics to sort the problem of broken circuits, this approach takes care of the problem at its very core. The idea is making its appearance in the latest edition of the Journal on Advanced Materials.

Well, we cannot say that such self-healing materials will be available in tablets and smartphones as yet. But still, the idea in itself is fascinating in terms of the potential it holds in reducing e-waste and improving the reliability of the products. As a first step, the researchers are keen on applying this technique and idea to improve the longevity and safety of batteries. What is still not clear is how long does this 'longevity' imply and what is the expense that will be going into incorporating these tine capsules.

Via: CNet