Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc. (EI) today announced that it has been awarded a $12M research & development contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to continue development of electronic packaging technologies including printed circuit boards and organic substrates for a super computer application. 
 
This contract supports the exploration and development of advanced high speed electronic packaging technologies; specifically, system development, printed circuit board and substrate design along with the evaluation of alternative material sets.
 
Existing facilities have been expanded and modified to accommodate new equipment which has been purchased to support this work and EI anticipates additional hiring needs.
 
“The work for the DoD we are doing here in Endicott needs to be performed within the boundaries of the U.S, so we are actively recruiting engineers across multiple disciplines to develop the next generation of scientists and engineering support personnel necessary to produce these future technologies," commented Rajinder Rai, VP of R&D and GM of Integrated Circuit Assembly Services at EI.

Further advancing the capabilities of modern die attach technology, Henkel has developed and made commercially available a line of new Ablestik® brand die attach materials known as self-filleting die attach.  The new class of die attach products offers all of the benefits of traditional die attach pastes, but takes the adhesive technology further by incorporating a self-filleting mechanism, making it a viable and much less costly alternative to die attach films.

Today’s device technologies have dictated the need for much thinner die in packages with tighter geometric tolerances.  For these applications, conventional die attach pastes can be hard to control, with uniform bondlines and complete wetting becoming more and more difficult to achieve. These challenges are what have proliferated the use of die attach films, which are effective but can cost as much as 50% more than traditional die attach pastes. 

To address these issues and respond to industry requirements for a cost-effective alternative to film-based materials, Henkel has designed a breakthrough die attach paste technology that utilizes capillary force to control flow and deliver complete wetting.  Unlike conventional die attach materials that rely on complicated, precise dispense patterns in combination with die placement force to encourage flow, determine bondline thickness and promote wetting, Ablestik brand self-filleting pastes use capillary function to control these critical process parameters through  dispense volume and spacer technology. 

“Self-filleting die attach technology is arguably one of the biggest advancements in die attach paste materials in recent years,” states Robert Palmer, Henkel Global Product Manager for Die Attach Adhesives.  “Modern devices are dictating much thinner die with bondline thicknesses pushing 5 microns.  These packages simply cannot be assembled with conventional pastes and, until recently, die attach films were the only option.  Self-filleting die attach adhesives make packaging these delicate devices possible without requiring changes to current equipment sets or process steps and deliver a lower total cost of use than die attach film.”

Employing traditional automatic dispense technology, a dot of Ablestik self-filleting material is deposited and the die gently placed.  The capillary force of the material then draws it out to the edge of the die where it forms a small fillet.  No excessive placement force is required, which eliminates die damage while also allowing for extremely tight process control.

“Ablestik self-filleting materials are providing customers more package design latitude with a material that fits into their existing manufacturing processes,” concludes Palmer.  “Plus, they are doing so at a cost that is much more palatable than that of film.”

Currently, Henkel’s Ablestik materials are available in three formulations:  Ablestik AAA3300™ non-conductive paste for die to substrate laminate-based devices; Ablestik AAA3320™ non-conductive material for die to die attachment, including same size, pyramidal and orthogonal die stack packages, and; Ablestik 3900™ conductive adhesive designed for die to substrate leadframe packages.

For more information on Henkel’s Ablestik brand self-filleting die attach adhesives or any of the company’s advanced semiconductor packaging materials, call 949-789-2500 or log onto the website at www.henkel.com/electronics.