Silicones electronic encapsulation

The protection of microelectronics from the effects of humidity and corrosive environments presents especially demanding requirements on protective coatings and encapsulants. Silicone polymers, epoxies, and imide resins are among the materials that have been used for the encapsulation of microelectronics. The physiological environment to which implanted medical electronic devices are exposed poses an especially challenging protection problem. In this volume, Troyk et al. outline the demands placed on such systems in medical applications, and discuss the properties of a variety of silicone-based encapsulants. 

Sylgard [Dow Corning]. TM for a series of silicone resin encapsulants used in electronic assemblies. 

The increasing demand for thermally stable polymers as electronic encapsulants is consistently creating a need for more information on such materials. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is a valuable tool for the thermal analysis of the silicone polymers. 

While most of these films are clearly low-modulus materials, they possess properties useful for such radiation-cure coating applications as conformal coatings, electronic encapsulent gels, or fiber optic coatings, particularly where such applications demand silicones broad operational temperature range,... 

Different resins can be used, such as polyester, silicones, polyurethanes, nylon, and acrylic. A major application for LIM with silicones is encapsulation of electrical and electronic devices. 

Flexible plastic foams may be found in the form of very soft cushioning materials used in upholstery, clothing interlayers, automobile seats, vibration absorbers, etc. The most common flexible foam resins are polyurethanes, foamed vinyls, cellular polyethylene, cross-linked polyethylene, and silicone foam. Semirigid foams are used for floatation devices, marine bumpers, special electrical insulation on television cables, packaging, and a host of other applications. Rigid foams are used in the production of airplane parts, boats, electronic encapsulation, and many furniture applications where wood was formerly used. 

C. P. Wong, Improved Eoom-Temperature Wulconicyed Silicone Elastomers as Integrated Circuit Encapsulants, Polymer Materials for Electronics Applications, American Chemical Society Symposium Series, Washington, D.C., Nos. 184, 171, 1982. 

Cold cure silicone rubbers and available as pastes. These pastes are mixed with an organometallic catalyst and silicate and cured at room temperature. These are used as adhesives, and as encapsulating materials for electronic components. They are also used for textile coating and in moulds. 

Since the Initial work of White (IQ), the Bell System and other major semiconductor users have extensively used silicones In the protection of numerous thin-film and thlck-fllm devices (24.25). The materials primarily have been condensation-cure silicones In xylene dispersion. The performance of encapsulated semiconductors used within the Bell System Is well documented (26). and studies continually In process support the use of silicones for the prevention of electronic component deterioration under conditions similar to the In-vlvo environment. 

Of all the commercially available organic and inorganic polymeric materials, RTV silicone elastomer has proved to he one of the most effective encapsulants used for mechanical and moisture protection of the Integrated Circuitry (1C) devices. A general overview of the RTV silicone elastomer and its commercial preparation and cure mechanism are described. Improved electrical performance of the RTV silicone encapsulant, by immobilizing the contaminant ions, such as Na, K" , Cl , with the addition of the heterocyclic poly-ethers as the contaminant ion scavengers seems to have a potential application as the contaminant ionic migration preventor in the electronic applications. 

Wong, C. P., "Encapsulated Electronic Devices Having Improved Silicone Encapsulant", 0. S. Patent 4,271,425, June 2, 1981. 

This structure has superior water-resistant properties in comparison to conventional polyols used for PU synthesis. Room temperature cures are easily obtained with typical urethane catalysts. Short chain diols, fillers and plasticizers may also be used in their formulations in order to vary physical properties. Formulations usually with NCO/OH ratio of 1.05 are used for this purpose. Such urethanes are reported to be flexible down to about -70 °C. HTPB is regarded as a work horse binder for composite propellants and PBXs. HTPB also successfully competes with widely used room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicones and special epoxy resins for the encapsulation of electronic components. HTPB-based PUs are superior in this respect as epoxy resins change their mechanical properties widely with temperature. 

The consolidated titanate waste pellets are similar in appearance to their glass counterparts, i.e., both are dense, black and apparently homogeneous. Microscopic analyses, however, reveal important differences between these two waste forms. While little definitive work has been done with glassy waste forms, it is apparent that several readily soluble oxide particulates of various nuclides are simply encapsulated in the glass matrix. The titanate waste form has undergone extensive analyses which includes optical microscopy, x-ray, scanning electron microscopy, microprobe, and transmission electron microscopy (l ) The samples of titanate examined were prepared by pressure sintering and consisted of material from a fully loaded titanate column. Zeolite and silicon additions were also present in the samples. 

A family of elastomeric foams has been developed by Rand 129) for use as stress relief coatings on electronic components in encapsulated electronic assemblies. Polysulfide, silicone and polyurethane elastomers blended with glass and phenolic microspheres have been used to formulate syntactic foams (Fig. 10) These foams are used to minimize the stress caused by differential thermal expansion between the component and the encapsulant. 

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