GREEN CHEMISTRY FOR PROTECTION OF HIGH TEMPERATURE (> 250°C) ELECTRONICS

A new modified “green” thermoset resin was developed and evaluated as an alternative encapsulation packaging material in comparison to traditional higher temperature resistant resins such as epoxies, silicones, cyanate esters and polyimide resins. Where epoxies and silicones have shown to provide good reliability for applications up to 150 – 200°C, high temperature applications, often required other chemistries, such as cyanate ester or polyimides. However, cyanate ester and/or polyimide based resins have recently been affected by new European environmental legislation making their usability, and especially environmental and health acceptance, not viable for the medium and long term. In combination to these environmental concerns, the current significant growth of the market for high power and high temperature electronics, also in more “consumer-type” applications, imply the need for “green” chemistry, capable to respond to high temperature (> 250°C) requirements. This paper will describe new materials, based on hybrid chemistry, in line with current European chemical (SVHC-compliant) regulations, responding to the current and future harsh environment requirements. DSC analysis was done to demonstrate the newly developed green chemistry provides Tg values well over 250°C. The combination of a hybrid chemistry with optimized adhesion properties, high Tg and low coefficient of thermal expansion seem to provide mechanical features which can address the problem of mechanical fatigue of traditional epoxy solutions, which did historically not provide the solutions which often, non-environmental friendly solutions, based on poly-imides or cyanate esters could offer.