Experimental and theoretical study of a fast curing adhesive

In semiconductor industry the application of fast curing adhesives with curing times below 20 s is necessary for cost-effective production of electronic packages at high throughput. For the curing process control as well as for the selection of appropriate adhesives, adequate analytical tools, which enable the measurement of fast curing reactions under package assembly conditions are essential. In this study, the curing behaviour of a commercially available adhesive, chemically based on an epoxy compound was examined by means of dielectric analysis (DEA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For the DEA method we developed an experimental set-up with similar temporal and thermal conditions as for the observed curing behaviour during the package production process. Formal kinetic analysis was performed of the isothermal DEA and the non-isothermal DSC data and kinetic models and parameters were derived and compared. This study revealed, that both measuring methods, the DEA and the DSC gain important information for characterising this curing system, although different kinetic models were found for the two methods. With the DEA method it was possible to determine an optimal curing temperature for the adhesive at process near experimental conditions.