Since the early 70s and dawn of the technological age, computational power has increased dramatically: smaller, faster, more efficient devices have been the methodology of much of this improvement. However, this success and push towards microelectronics comes with the physical limits of scale stability. Epoxy based thermoset coatings are used in a plethora of applications for their high strength properties—flooring, furniture, and metals to name a few. Furthermore, their low dielectric properties make them an ideal candidate for coating even electronically relevant products, including the mechanism of computer hardware: the silicon chip. Limited largely by their order of magnitude higher coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), we investigated a range of flexible framework filler materials that exhibit large negative thermal expansion (NTE) for our epoxy based resin systems as a means of counteracting the thermal expansion. Polymer/filler properties and interactions are characterized by thermal mechanical analysis (TMA), viscometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dielectric tests to elucidate interactions as well as prove commercially feasibility. Results show the successful demonstration of epoxy coatings with thermal expansion coefficients compatible with that of that of the silicon wafer while maintaining a composite viscosity that is practical for commercial implementation.

Flexible framework fillers: Epoxy coatings for microelectronic applications

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ACS Fall 2022

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