Big Blue has devised a technique to reduce silicon waste that will save the company money and benefit the burgeoning solar-power industry, according to a Reuters report.

The company has found a way to remove silicon circuitry from wafers -- discs of silicon -- that are deemed too flawed to be used for processors, according to the report. Those little pieces of silicon have traditionally been discarded.

However, IBM engineers has come up with a technique to remove the circuitry "with an abrasive pad and water, which saves money and leaves the silicon in better shape for reuse," according to the report. "Eric White, one of the engineers behind the process, said it would let IBM get five or six monitor wafers out of one that otherwise would be scrapped. By extending the life of the silicon, IBM believes it will save about $1.5 million a year and leave more of the material available for the solar industry, where supplies have been tight."

Posted by Ted Samson on October 30, 2007 09:29 AM