Chips are almost always connected to a substrate by means of solder. According to the researchers of both PARC and Oracle, solder is directly responsible for a lot of waste among chips. Malfunctioning chips can't be thrown out until its tested in its original setting, usually placed there with solder. This means the entire package is thrown out, which isn't always a cheap thing to do.



The researchers of PARC and Oracle have developed an alternative to soldering connections and the problems it might bring. The researchers applied a titanium coated substrate to a surface, which is then cut out. A layer of gold will optimize the electrical contact.