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JP-7138165-B2 - ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS, INCLUDING METAL COMPONENTS SOURCED FROM CONFLICT-FREE MINING, AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME

JP7138165B2JP 7138165 B2JP7138165 B2JP 7138165B2JP-7138165-B2

Inventors

  • ミルマン，ウィリアム・エイ
  • ロウン，ヤン

Assignees

  • キョーセラ・エイブイエックス・コンポーネンツ・コーポレーション
  • キョーセラ・エイブイエックス・コンポーネンツ・コーポレーション

Dates

Publication Date
20220915
Application Date
20180918
Priority Date
20170921

Claims (15)

  1. A method of forming an electronic component comprising a metallic component, comprising: obtaining unverified mineral samples from mining areas; analyzing said unverified mineral sample by quantitative mineralogical analysis and providing data collected during quantitative mineralogical analysis on said unverified mineral sample from one or more mining areas from non-conflict areas; whether said unverified mineral samples are sourced from one or more mining sites from said non-conflict area, as compared to data in a database corresponding to quantitative mineralogical analyzes collected on said verified mineral samples; and if it is determined that said unverified mineral samples were sourced from one or more mining sites from said non-conflict area, then it is determined that it is sourced from said non-conflict area. and processing said mineral sample into said metal component.
  2. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising rejecting the unverified mineral sample if it cannot be determined that the unverified mineral sample is sourced from one or more mining sites from non-conflict areas.
  3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia are excluded from the non-conflict area.
  4. analyzing the unverified mineral sample by quantitative mineralogical analysis comprises polishing the unverified mineral sample to expose the interior of grains present in the unverified mineral sample; The method of claim 1.
  5. 5. Further comprising performing an automated mineralogical test on said unverified mineral sample. The method described in .
  6. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying grains for further testing based on data obtained during automated mineralogical testing.
  7. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising performing an analysis with an Electron Probe Microanalyzer ( EPMA ) on the identified grains.
  8. For the identified grains, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (LA) -ICP-MS).
  9. verification that data collected during said automated mineralogical testing, analysis using EPMA , and LA-ICP-MS on said unverified mineral samples was sourced from one or more mining sites from said non-conflict area; If consistent with the data collected during said automated mineralogical testing, analysis using EPMA , and LA-ICP-MS for one of the previously identified mineral samples, said unverified mineral sample is located in said non-conflict area; 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method is determined to be sourced from one or more mining sites from
  10. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said unverified mineral sample comprises a metal, said metal comprising gold, cobalt, copper, tin, tungsten, lithium, or combinations thereof.
  11. The processing step is separating the metal from the mineral sample determined to be sourced from the non-conflict area ; 11. The method of claim 10, comprising forming the metal into the metal component.
  12. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic component is a capacitor.
  13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the capacitor is a ceramic capacitor, a solid electrolytic capacitor, or a wet electrolytic capacitor.
  14. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic component is a medical device, filter, inductor, active electrode, antenna, sensor, or battery.
  15. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal parts are feedthroughs, platings, conductive adhesives or pastes, leadframes, terminals, pins, wires, brazes, or coils.

Description

This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 62/561,245, filed September 21, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Conflict resources are natural resources (ie, resources that exist without human manipulation) found in areas called "conflict areas" and are often sold to finance conflicts and civil wars. An example of a conflict resource is conflict minerals. Conflict minerals can include metals such as gold, tin, and tungsten. Other metals that can be mined in conflict areas and that manufacturers wish to monitor their geographic origin include cobalt and copper. One particular area where conflict minerals are mined and sold to keep the conflict going is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law in the United States in 2010. This requires U.S. and some foreign companies to sell conflict minerals from the DRC and neighboring countries (e.g., Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) to their Requires reporting and public disclosure of use in products of Similar legislation has been passed in Europe, but this extends to all countries, not just the DRC and adjoining countries. The US Conflict Minerals Act requires independent third-party audits of supply chain traceability and reporting of audit findings to the public and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Geographic origin of minerals (e.g., one or more mining areas from which minerals are sourced) to meet audit and reporting requirements and to ensure that companies do not use conflict minerals in their products. an accurate and reliable method for identifying and ensuring that it is a conflict-free mineral in the manufacture of various products containing materials that are prevalent in conflict areas; Alternatively, it is useful as a first step in the process involved in verifying the origin of a particular mineral as a whole whether the mineral is from a conflict area or not. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a method for determining the geographic origin of mineral samples.FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the system used in determining the geographic origin of mineral samples.FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a solid electrolytic capacitor that may be formed in accordance with the present invention;FIG. 4 is an exploded schematic diagram of a wet electrolytic capacitor that may be formed in accordance with the present invention.FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a ceramic capacitor that may be formed in accordance with the present invention; Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or components of the invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present discussion is a description of typical aspects only and is not intended to limit the broader aspects of the invention. Generally speaking, the present invention relates to the above metal components (e.g., feedthroughs, plating, conductive pastes or adhesives, lead frames, terminals, pins, electronic components such as capacitors (e.g., solid or wet electrolytic capacitors), medical devices, filters, inductors, active electrodes, antennas, sensors, etc., including wires, brazes, coils, etc.), and methods of forming the same. do. The method comprises obtaining an unverified mineral sample (e.g., a concentrate that has not been refined to pure metals) from a mining site, analyzing the unverified mineral sample by quantitative mineralogical analysis, and data collected during the quantitative mineralogical analysis of mineral samples from the data, including determining whether unverified mineral samples are sourced from one or more mining sites from non-conflict areas. Analysis of unverified mineral samples includes performing automated mineralogical tests on samples, identifying grains for further testing, and electron microprobe analysis and laser ablation on identified grains. It can include performing inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. If the unverified mineral samples are determined to be sourced from one or more mining sites from non-conflict areas, the method includes applying metal obtained from the unverified mineral samples to metal components of electronic components. Including working, the metal can include gold, cobalt, copper, tin, tungsten, lithium, or combinations thereof. It is noted that the mineral determination methods described herein are based on the fact that geological units, regions, and even specific mining areas within a region are distinguished from each other by their distinct geological features. should understand. For example, regional and local variations in the composition of tantalum minerals reflect the conditions of formation, the geological environment (eg host rock), and the emplacement age of the host pegmatite. Th