A Novel Nanocomposite With Photo-Polymerization for Wafer Level Application

A novel nanocomposite photo-curable material which can act both as a photoresist and a stress redistribution layer applied on the wafer level was synthesized and studied. In the experiments, 20-nm silica fillers were modified by a silane coupling agent through a hydrolysis and condensation reaction and then incorporated into the epoxy matrix. A photo-sensitive initiator was added into the formulation which can release cations after ultraviolet exposure and initiate the epoxy crosslinking reaction. The photo-crosslinking reaction of the epoxy made it a negative tone photoresist. The curing reaction of the nanocomposites was monitored by a differential scanning calorimeter with the photo-calorimetric accessory. The thermal mechanical properties of photo-cured nanocomposites thin film were also measured. It was found that the moduli change of the nanocomposites as the filler loading increasing did not follow the Mori-Tanaka model, which indicated that the nanocomposite was not a simple two-phase structure as the composite with micron size filler. The addition of nano-sized silica fillers reduced the thermal expansion and improved the stiffness of the epoxy, with only a minimal effect on the optical transparency of the epoxy, which facilitated the complete photo reaction in the epoxy.