Looking Back to Look Forward: How scarcity affects electronics cost and drives material research*

Typically discussions of electronics focuses on high value semiconductor products. However, without commoditized components such as resistors and capacitors and materials such as printed circuit boards and soldier, electronic devices are not possible. As Moore’s Law enables the internet of things (IOT) and allows data to become even more ubiquitous, the consumer electronics market is projected to experience an annual growth rate of 11.6% reaching $528 billion in 2023. This means more components are needed. Case studies will be presented showing how electronics manufacturing volume effects the raw material cost. An analysis of materials needed for commoditized component manufacturing will be shown, it will identify raw materials that could either cause significant cost increases to or even interrupt the component supply chain. The information can then be utilized to direct research into substitution materials or to suggest process improvement opportunities.