Method of recycling integrated circuits

A method of recycling an integrated circuit (IC) from a printed circuit board (PCB), the method comprising:

• providing a used printed circuit board having a desired configuration;
• identifying a target device on the used printed circuit board, and rejecting the used printed circuit board if the target device is not present and therefore cannot be identified;
• subjecting the used printed circuit board with the identified target device to a screening sub-process that includes:
• visually inspecting the used printed circuit board for physical damage, wherein the used printed circuit board is rejected if the printed circuit board has physical damage that exceeds a board-physical-damage threshold;
• visually inspecting the target device for physical damage, wherein the used printed circuit board is rejected if the target device has physical damage that exceeds a device-physical-damage threshold;
• and
• obtaining data associated with the used printed circuit board and comparing the data to board-data criteria, wherein the used printed circuit board is rejected if the obtained data does not meet the board-data criteria;
• discarding the used printed circuit board if the used printed circuit board is rejected by the screening sub-process, and keeping the used printed circuit board if the used printed circuit board is not rejected by the screening sub-process;
• preconditioning the used printed circuit board by baking in an oven at a temperature greater than 100° C. for a period of time of at least 48 hours;
• desoldering the target device from the printed circuit board to isolate the target device;
• visually inspecting the isolated target device, wherein the isolated target device is rejected if the isolated target device does not pass the visual inspection;
• performing a functional test of the isolated target device, wherein the isolated target device is rejected if the isolated target device does not pass the functional test, and if the isolated target device passes the functional test, the isolated target device is designated as an acceptable target device;
• and
• baking the acceptable target device at a temperature greater than 100° C. for a period of time of at least 12 hours, and subsequently storing the acceptable target device in an electrostatic-discharge-protected environment in presence of nitrogen gas.