Electroconductive Adhesives: Comparison of Three Different Polymer Matrices. Epoxy, Polyimide and Silicone

Abstract

Electrically conductive organic adhesives are used in the microelectronics manufacturing industry for the attachment of silicon dies. These adhesives are composite materials which owe their conductivity to the incorporation of silver flakes. Several polymers have been formulated into electrically-conductive adhesives to meet different applications in the microelectronics industry; these are an epoxy resin, a polyimide and a silicone polymer. The purpose of this paper is to examine properties of these die-bonding adhesives in order to determine the advantages or disadvantages of these materials. This study offers a comparison of hardening chemistry, chemical purity, processing, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of three conductive adhesives based on an epoxy, a polyimide and a silicone polymer. We discuss correlation of composite properties with the structure of each matrix. The results indicate that the choice of the matrix is dictated by the application for which the electronic grade conductive adhesive is to be used and the desired properties for best reliability and performance.