Viscosity characterization of highly filled photopolymerizable liquid encapsulants for microelectronic devices

In this paper the viscosity of novel photopolymerizable liquid encapsulants (PLEs) for microelectronic devices was characterized as a function of the particle size distribution of the fused silica filler. Microelectronic devices are typically encapsulated using a transfer molding process in which the molding compound flows over the leadframe and wire bonds as it fills the mold. The molding compound should have a low viscosity to minimize problems such as: 1) incomplete mold filling; 2) lead frame movement during cavity filling; and 3) displacement of the wires that connect the die with the leadframe (wire sweep). We have developed a photopolymerizable liquid encapsulant using an epoxy novolac-based vinyl ester resin that may alleviate these problems. In this contribution, we have investigated the blending of two different particle size distributions of fused silica to tailor the viscosity of PLEs for microelectronic applications. We have characterized the viscosity of highly filled PLEs containing 70.0, 72.0, and 74.0 wt% silica, and found that a blend of particle size distributions with a particle size ratio of 3.13 resulted in the best viscosity reduction. In addition, the PLE viscosity decreased slightly with increasing concentration of a silane coupling agent. The resulting PLEs exhibit low viscosities at ambient temperature while maintaining desirable material properties for microelectronic applications.