High reliability / Thermal management

Advanced Packaging
materials for
Power semiconductors​
Properties Required
for t​ he Future
Packaging​of Automotive
Power Semiconductors​
Advances in electric vehicles (xEVs) have boosted the demands for smaller drive systems
for reducing weight and securing interior space, smaller and higher-speed drive motors,
and more efficient energy consumption for longer driving range. Meeting these demands
requires smaller and higher-performance inverters.​

Power semiconductors used for inverters are packaged in the form of modules with
multiple chips mounted on a single substrate. As these power modules are the hottest
components in EVs, the proper thermal management is required.​

With silicon (Si) conventionally used for power semiconductor chips, silicon carbide (SiC)
has been developed in recent years to create low-loss semiconductors. To make full use
of SiC’s low-loss and high-temperature operability, it is necessary to enhance the heat
resistance, insulation, and heat dissipation properties of semiconductor peripheral
materials.​

Smaller inverters require:​

Resulting in
Smaller power modules
Increase in
higher chip operating
heat generation density​ temperatures​

Higher-performance inverters require:​

More efficient power modules SiC is operable ​

Application of SiC​ at high temperatures​

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The development of smaller power modules with higher power density requires
improving the performance of semiconductor peripheral materials (insulation, reliability,
heat resistance, heat dissipation, etc.).​

(1) High heat resistance to high operating temperatures​

(2) High heat dissipation in response to high heat generation density​
(3) High reliability to withstand power cycle tests at high operating temperature

Balanced thermal management of power modules in terms of heat resistance, heat

dissipation, and reliability is becoming increasingly important to improving the
performance of inverters. Resonac offers a wide range of high-performance packaging
materials that contribute to rapidly advancing xEVs.​

Semiconductor back-end materials that include die bonding materials and encapsulants
combine organic materials, such as resins and binders, inorganic materials, including
fillers and particles, and various additives.​
For example, encapsulants contain roughly 20 different materials, including resins, curing
agents, fillers, catalysts, additives, and mold-release agents. Achieving the desired
functionality requires knowledge of organic and inorganic materials as well as synthesis,
composite design, compounding, mixing, and other technologies. The optimization of
material properties is also necessary when the required properties trade off with each
other. In addition, coordination with customer process must be made to meet various
customer conditions of use.​

Resonac boasts a wealth of expertise and technologies as to organic and inorganic

materials, compounding, and mixing, with its semiconductor back-end materials holding
the world’s top-class market share for many years.​

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 Resonac’s Proposals​
High Heat Dissipation Sintered Copper Paste ​
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with Excellent Reliability at High Tj​

Highly Heat-Resistant and Reliable

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Epoxy Molding Compounds <CEL-400> series​

Heat-Resistant Coating Material “HIMAL” ​

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for Restraining Encapsulant Delamination​

Al Cooler 11

Mold Cleaning Sheet <

​ N-CS> Series​ 13

WHO WE ARE？
Resonac Group is a group of chemical companies that produces and sells products
related to semiconductor and electronic materials, mobility, innovation enabling
materials, chemicals, etc. The Group has a wide variety of materials and advanced
material technologies applicable to midstream to downstream of supply chains of various
products.​

Visit here
to get know us!​

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Sintered
Copper Paste​
Challenges​ Resonac’s Proposal​
High-lead solder:
Unable to withstand the strong stress of hard SiC in Bonding material
reliability tests.​
with heat resistance,
Sintered silver: heat dissipation,
Tends to accumulate fatigue caused by stress and and reliability​
strain as the main component silver is soft and
easily deformable. In power cycle tests, CTE Sintered Copper
differences among semiconductor chips, insulating
substrates, and die-bonding materials lead to stress
Bonding Paste​
accumulation in the die-bonding part, possibly
causing fatigue destruction.​

Why? Because…​
Copper is known for its higher elastic modulus, higher yield stress, and lower CTE than
silver. Bonding with Resonac’s recommended sintered copper paste offers superior
reliability as its sintered copper produces less thermal strain than sintered silver and is
unlikely to cause fatigue destruction due to its thermal strain being contained within the
elastic deformation.​
Resonac’s sintered copper bonding enhances the reliability of SiC power modules while
maintaining the same level of heat dissipation as sintered silver.​

As bonding between packages and coolers, in addition to

die bonding applications, conventional high-lead solder
becomes a heat dissipation bottleneck due to its low
thermal conductivity.​
Sintered silver raises reliability concerns due to its greater
strain on areas larger than the die-bonding part.​
Resonac’s sintered copper paste can reduce the total load
of thermos-compression at a lower pressure and achieve
reliability superior to sintered silver.​

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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not
guaranteed values.​
 1 Excellent reliability​
A power cycle test at Tⱼ ,ₘ ₐ ₓ = 175°C revealed that sintered copper had a characteristic
life approximately 40 times higher than high-lead solder and about five times higher than
sintered silver.​
Sintered copper also surpassed sintered silver in temperature cycle tests.​
​
Die-Bonding materials
​
​ High-Pb Sintered Sintered
Item solder​ Ad Cu

Characterist ​ ​ ​
life(cycles) 4,840 44,064 215,480

Approx.5 times
Approx.40 times

Heat dissipation e​ quivalent

2 to sintered silver​
Bonding with sintered copper, which has a thermal conductivity of 300W/(m･K) equivalent
to sintered silver, enables heat dissipation from SiC modules and suppresses local
temperature rises. On the other hand, bonding with high-lead solder with a thermal
conductivity of 30W/(m･K) leads to a heat dissipation bottleneck in the die-bonding part.​

Temperature distribution on sample cross-sections​

(a) Bonding with sintered copper​ (b) Bonding with high-lead solder​

(Items set other than material properties)​

Electrical power, environment temperature: measured values of samples, air properties: air at normal pressure and 30 ℃ (other
physical quantities: fixed values), density: 1.161 kg/m³ , thermal conductivity: 2.610 x 10⁻²W/(m ･K), coefficient of molecular viscosity:
1.840 x 10⁻⁵ N ･ s/m² , thermal expansion coefficient: 3.333 x 10⁻³ K⁻¹ , conduction, radiation, heat transfer by natural convection,
buoyancy, and turbulence were taken into account.​
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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of
the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not guaranteed values.​

More detail
Epoxy Molding
Compounds ​
<CEL-400> Series​
Challenges​ Resonac’s Proposal​
Junction temperatures (Tj) rise with higher power
outputs and smaller sizes. Improving the results of
CTE differences in power module components are
power cycle tests by
particularly large between wires and chips, with the preventing wire lift-off
gap widening as the temperature rises. and breakage
Silicone resin encapsulants are too soft to provide a
High Tg,
restraining force on wires and chips.
Heat-Resistant EMC
The encapsulants’ inability to restrain stress
generated by differences in the expansion and <CEL-400> Series
contraction of components results in wire lift-off and
breakage in power cycle tests.

Why? Because…​
Resonac’s epoxy molding compound is hard enough to restrain the parts and their
expansion and contraction, thereby improving the results of power cycle tests. As epoxy
resin becomes soft above Tg, it is necessary to choose an encapsulant with Tg≧Tj to
maintain its restraining force. However, high Tg epoxy resin is generally associated with
such trade-offs as declining capability to restrain decomposition, prevent delamination,
and relax stress. These reduced properties easily cause encapsulant delamination,
leading to a negative impact on the temperature cycle properties.​

Resonac has optimized its epoxy and phenol resin

compound ratio and additives to achieve high Tg,
decomposition restraint, delamination prevention, and
stress relaxation. ​
Resonac’s encapsulants can be optimally designed to meet
the reliability requirements of its customers by adjusting
high Tg, decomposition restraint, adhesive strength, and
stress relaxation while balancing other physical properties.​

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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not
guaranteed values.​
 Balancing high Tg and
1 decomposition restraint​
High Tg epoxy resin can restrain CTE differences in the high temperature range, but it
tends to break easily as higher Tg makes the resin structure rigid and the molecular
chains difficult to move, causing stress on the chain connections at high temperatures.
Resonac’s <CEL-400> series balances high Tg and decomposition restraint by optimally
selecting and compounding epoxy and phenol. The green and blue in the chart below
represent conventional epoxy molding compounds, and the red indicates the <CEL-400>
series. Although there are also trade-offs with the <CEL-400> series, Resonac has raised
the trade-off relationship to the higher Tg or lower decomposition side.​
Tg vs Weight loss
Weight loss @250℃ 1000h/%

Tg/℃

High adhesive strength by

2 adding adhesion promoters​
High Tg epoxy resin cannot be oriented flexibly to the adherend surface as molecular
chain movement becomes difficult, and its adhesive strength also weakens as functional
groups have difficulty appearing on the surface. Weak adhesive strength causes
delamination between components with large CTE differences in temperature cycle tests.
The figures below show the simulation results of adhesive energy to various adherend
surfaces. Resonac’s <CEL-400> series achieves higher adhesive energy by adding
adhesion promoters.​
Adhesion Promoters Molecular simulation
Cu(C1020) w/o adhesion promoters with adhesion promoters

Electrolytic Ni Plating
Ag

Molecular level gaps

Electroless Ni Plating Adhesion promoters
Ni/Pd/Au are located in the gaps
w/o adhesion promoters Ni Ni
with adhesion promoters
Al(A5052)
Good adhesion to various metals
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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of
the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not guaranteed values.​

More detail
HIMAL​

Challenges​ Resonac’s Proposal​

Providing both high Tg
Delamination due to CTE differences between
encapsulants and components. and delamination
restraint,
Restraining delamination from lead frames by
roughening their surface.​ thereby enhancing the
reliability of power
Limited effectiveness when reliability is determined
semiconductors.​
by the delamination of wires, chips, and other
components (excluding lead frames).​ high heat-resistant
Rising demand for enhanced adhesive strength by coating material
doing more than the roughening treatment.
“HIMAL”

Why? Because…​
The reliability of power semiconductors is enhanced by using the “HIMAL” coating as an
encapsulant primer to increase the adhesive strength between encapsulants and lead
frames, chips, and wires, and to achieve the heat resistance and delamination restraint of
encapsulants by relaxing stress.​
With the trade-off between epoxy encapsulant Tg and adhesiveness or stress relaxation,
“HIMAL” can extend the choices of encapsulants known for their difficulties in providing
both high Tg and delamination restraint. The combined use of “HIMAL” and Resonac’s
encapsulants also helps pass more stringent reliability tests.​

※"HIMAL" is a registered trademark of Resonac Corporation in Japan and China. ​

９
※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not
guaranteed values.​
 1 High adhesive strength​
Resonac compared the shear strength between substrates and encapsulants (epoxy
molding compound (EMC)).​The shear strength (adhesive strength) of an untreated nickel
substrate approximately doubled after roughening, while coating with “HIMAL” increases
the substrate’s shear strength roughly fourfold.​
Shear strength comparison with competing technologies (nickel substrate)
25
Room temperature
20
150℃

15

10

0
Unprocessed nickel Roughened nickel Nickel substrate
substrate substrate with HL-1210N coating
Testing conditions:
HIMAL applied to an unprocessed nickel substrate
Nickel Substrate Unprocessed Roughened
Coating thickness (μm) 3.5 8.8
Arithmetic mean height (μm) 0.02 0.34

2 Excellent cycle properties​

Resonac’s evaluation showed the “HIMAL” coating extended the lifetime of a 1-in-1
module from 23,000 cycles to 87,000 cycles in a power cycle test (ΔTj=100°C). Resonac
sees this improvement as the result of delamination restrained by increased adhesive
strength as well as stress relaxed at the bottom of aluminum (Al) wires.​
A white contrast indicating delamination was observed at the end of the test without
using “HIMAL”, whereas no white contrast was observed when using “HIMAL”.​
Power cycling test results
25% At the start At the end
Rate of heat resistance

20% 23000 cycle

Conduction failure Without
deterioration (%)

15% HIMAL
Wire lift-off caused a
breakdown in all cases
10%
87000 cycle
5% Conduction failure HL-1210N

0%
20000 40000 60000 80000 100000
Cycle
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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of
the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not guaranteed values.​

More detail
Al Cooler

Challenges​ Resonac’s Proposal​

Improving cooling performance corresponding to
Taking advantage of its
increase on heat generation in power modules.
aluminum materials and
processing and joining
Balancing with cooling performance and reducing
technologies
size & weight​. Al cooler

Why? Because…​
Resonac proposes coolers that satisfy our customers’ requirements, applying our
technologies and know-how accumulated through practical experience.
・Materials： Undertake development and casting of Al alloy. In addition to standardized
materials, originally developed alloy compositions are available. Resonac also proposes
Cu/Al clad to make use of Al’s lightness while achieving high heat dissipation.​​
・ Fin design & Processing ： Based on performance simulations, fins are designed to
realize high heat dissipation and low pressure drop. The optimal processing method is
chosen from pressing, extrusion and forging. ​
・ Cooling & Flow path shape ： Cooling structures are designed by balancing multiple
requirements, including cooling performance, size and weight. In addition to conventional
furnace brazing, Resonac uses other joining methods less affectable the impact of heat
on components assembled into the cooler. Resonac also analyzes and evaluates power
modules to offer proposals that meet our customers’ specifications. ​

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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not
guaranteed values.​
 Achieving high heat dissipation
1 while reducing weight​

Cu heatsinks excel in heat dissipation, but reducing weight is difficult.

Proposal example ：
A heatsink using a Cu/Al clad for base with narrow pitch Al fins​

Thermal resistance simulations were run using a Cu

heatsink for comparison. Thermal resistance was
lowered by replacing the heatsink base with a Cu/Al
clad from Al, and thermal resistance equivalent to
the Cu heatsink was made possible by narrowing
the pitch of AI fins(Fig.1). It was also revealed that its
weight could be reduced to about one-third to one-
half of the Cu heatsink(Fig.2).​

Fig1. Simulation results of thermal resistance​

Thermal resistance(%)

100
Relative value of

100 ％ 128 ％ 118 ％ 109 ％

Cu Al Al/Cu Al/Cu
(0.9mm b/w fins) (0.9mm b/w fins) (0.7mm b/w fins)

Fig2. Simulation results of weight​

Relative value of weight(%)

100

100 ％ 35 ％ 52 ％ 56 ％
Al Al/Cu Al/Cu
Cu (0.9mm b/w fins) (0.9mm b/w fins) (0.7mm b/w fins)

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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of
the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not guaranteed values.

More detail
Additional Proposal​
Cleaning Sheet​
<N-CS> series​

Challenges​ Resonac’s Proposal​

Improving productivity
Melamine resin cleaning materials are specialized for with fewer cleaning steps
cavities, and cleaning air vents and partings is
difficult.​
in line with the product
molding process.
Removing stains requires 10 shots or more.​ Mold Cleaning
Sheet <N-CS> series

Why? Because…​
Resonac’s mold cleaning sheet <N-CS> series is a cleaning material composed of
thermosetting synthetic rubber, and can remove gas stains, thin burrs, and air vent
clogging by heating the sheet placed and sandwiched between a mold to fill its entire
surface, including cavities and partings, with cleaning materials.​

In addition, cleaning agents contained in the sheet dissolve and remove stains by
attaching stain components to the sheet, allowing the mold to be cleaned with fewer
shots than cleaning with melamine resin. This process contributes to improved
productivity due to the ability to shorten the cleaning time, and it is also applicable to
both transfer and compression molding.​

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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not
guaranteed values.​
 1 Excellent cleaning performance​
Composed of thermosetting synthetic rubber, Resonac’s <N-CS> series can remove gas
stains, thin burrs, and air vent clogging by heating the sheet placed and sandwiched
between a mold to fill its entire surface, including cavities and partings, with cleaning
materials. ​
In addition, cleaning agents contained in the sheet dissolve and remove stains by
attaching stain components to the sheet, allowing the mold to be cleaned with fewer
shots than cleaning with melamine resin. This process contributes to improved
productivity due to the ability to shorten the cleaning time, and it is also applicable to
both transfer and compression molding.​

Cleaning Performance of Mold Cleaning Sheets *​

Mold cleaning sheet

Level 100 Bad
Stains Mold resion
stains are
Mold Die visible
Melamine resin

N-CS-7500

Level 20
Mold resin stain
are not visible,
but wax stains
are visible.

Level0
No mold
stain is visible
Good
Number of cleaning shots

* The graph above shows the cleaning performance as index after continuous molding work (300 shots) with our sealant. If burned
stains are accumulated in a mold, a large number of shots will be required to remove them. Moreover, mold cleaning sheets may stick
strongly to the accumulated stains. In that case, an overhaul of the mold is required: for example, continuous cleaning with mold
cleaning sheets until the level of stains reduces to zero, and full cleaning or re-plating of molds.​

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※The data shown are representative values that represent examples of
the results of measurements, calculations, etc., and are not guaranteed values.​

More detail
Contact
Information
Resonac Corporation
Tokyo Shiodome Bldg., 1-9-1,
Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 105-7325, Japan
www.resonac.com

If you have any inquiries, please feel free to contact us.

Japan rec_chemistry@resonac.com

Americas rea_chemistry@resonac.com

Europe,
the Middle East reu_chemistry@resonac.com
and Africa

Asia-Pacific reap_chemistry@resonac.com

Others rec_chemistry@resonac.com

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