Dow will preview its latest Si technologies for advanced semiconductor packaging at SEMICON® Taiwan 2021 in Booth #I2616. These next-generation Si-organic hybrid adhesives, Si hotmelt solutions and Si die-attach films (DAF) deliver improved performance, durability, uniformity and processability vs. traditional organics. Dow’s high performance technologies are engineered to address top trends in advanced semiconductor packaging, including ever-thinner, smaller and more-complex designs, by mitigating stress from mismatched coefficients of thermal expansion that can cause warpage. They also provide greater durability and reliability for applications exposed to harsh environmental conditions in industries such as aerospace and automotive electronics. 

In addition to displaying posters, example applications and demos at its booth, Dow will participate in the TechXPOT conference at the show. Roderick Chen, technical service and development specialist for Dow, will present on “Novel Silicone Hotmelt Solutions for Microelectronics” at 1:40 p.m. China Standard Time on Tuesday, December 28. 

“While advanced packaging designs are essential to meet increasing demand for higher performance and expanded functionality in electronics, they can also place greater thermal, electrical and mechanical stresses on the chip,” said Jayden Cho, Dow’s global segment leader for Displays & Microelectronics. “To address this situation and help customers improve quality, consistency and processability, Dow has developed an array of novel Si technologies specifically designed for side-by-side and stacked chip configurations and MEMS devices. Our breakthrough Si products surpass organics by optimizing thermal stability, stress relaxation and durability in many different types of packaging.” 

Differentiated Si Technologies 

Dow’s new Si technologies provide fresh solutions to enable complex packaging designs, such as multi-stacked packages and coreless substrates. They also have important advantages over organics and can help customers resolve issues such as warpage, delamination, bleed-out and premature failure that can occur with epoxies and other incumbent materials. 

The new DAF solutions, which are cured Si films, offer excellent uniformity for precise thickness and eliminate fillets and bleed-out that commonly occur with epoxy adhesives. Low modulus ensures good sensing accuracy, especially for environmental sensors. 

Dow’s hybrid solutions combine Si and organics in a unique formulation. These adhesives deliver enhanced mechanical properties that Si alone can’t achieve, such as higher modulus and strong adhesion to various surfaces. Potential applications include flip chip packaging, which can experience delamination after harsh reliability testing when epoxy mold underfill is used. The hybrid solutions also feature excellent optical properties, enabling them to be used in optical devices. 

The company’s Si hotmelt technologies, offered in three formats (film, cartridge and tablet), provide excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates, as well as stress relief for warpage mitigation. 

  • The hotmelt film can be vacuum laminated for chip encapsulation or bonding over a large area, which is a simpler process than molding. It is especially valuable for substrates that warp easily, such as flexible, coreless packaging
  • The Si hotmelt cartridge solution for compression molding provides better workability and thermal stability compared to commercial liquid Si hotmelts for chip encapsulation and soft molding
  • The hotmelt tablet technology is designed for transfer molding, where it provides properties similar to those of conventional EMC, plus exceptional thermal stability to at least 250°C. 

Dow invites attendees at SEMICON Taiwan to stop by its booth (#I2616) for additional information on these novel Si technologies.