Dow showcases at IWLPC 2020 two novel silicone technologies offering warpage-free encapsulation for advanced packaging

Unique hotmelt solutions address key microelectronics trends and deliver higher performance than traditional epoxies.


MIDLAND, Mich. – Oct. 13, 2020 –
Dow (NYSE: Dow) is introducing at the 2020 International Wafer-Level Packaging Conference (IWLPC) two new silicone hotmelt encapsulation technologies for advanced semiconductor packaging. The technologies – a silicone film for package encapsulation and a silicone tablet for package molding – provide warpage-free performance, excellent adhesion and stable mechanical properties under heat aging. These innovative solutions target emerging packaging designs, including fan-out wafer-level packaging (WLP), and stacked configurations such as package-on-package (PoP) and three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D IC). Both technologies offer advantages over traditional organic encapsulants such as epoxy molding compound (EMC) and liquid epoxy.

“Exhibiting at this virtual conference gives us the opportunity to share our unique silicone encapsulant technologies with industry colleagues,” said Jayden Cho, global segment leader, Dow Consumer Solutions. “Together with our customers, Dow is seeking new material technologies to enable next-generation packaging designs that address the challenges of heterogeneous integration. Cross-industry collaboration on all aspects of packaging can help achieve goals of greater miniaturization, higher performance and increased system integration in tomorrow’s devices”


Solving the Warpage Challenge

Warpage is a major challenge in wafer-level packaging, particularly fan-out WLP, due to smaller package dimensions and a mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of silicon wafers and thermoset encapsulants. Minimizing warpage is important for better wafer handling and higher yields.

Both of the new technologies provide warpage-free encapsulation for packaging, due to excellent stress relaxation and a low CTE. In the case of the silicone hotmelt film, this property allows flat encapsulation on large substrates used in WLP. Warpage-free encapsulation is possible even on very thin wafers, challenging substrate materials and large and thin printed circuit boards (PCBs). The film’s tunable melt viscosity enables adaptations for different substrate shapes.

The film is applied using thermal bonding and a dry vacuum lamination process followed by oven curing. This method is less messy and cumbersome than using curable liquid encapsulants and does not require an expensive mold. Taking dispensing time for liquid encapsulants into account, the film has a shorter overall cycle for higher productivity.

The cylindrical silicone tablet, which is processed using transfer molding to create molded parts, provides properties similar to those of an EMC, including spiral flow and curing profile. However, its heat resistance (up to 250°C) surpasses an EMC’s, making the tablet a candidate for new packaging applications with higher temperature requirements, such as power module management ICs (PMICs) and insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). This technology provides excellent, long-term adhesion to copper layers of PCBs, wafers and silver/nickel-coated substrates under thermal cycling. In addition to packaging, applications for this technology include encapsulation on power converters.

For its virtual exhibit at IWLPC, Dow is making available a downloadable presentation on the two new technologies. Also, the company is making selective sampling available to attendees during the exposition from October 13-14, 2020.

To learn more, visit Dow’s at www.dow.com


About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow operates 109 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 36,500 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2019. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.


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