Assembly and interconnection technologies for MID based on thermally conductive plastics for heat dissipation

The present study aims to display new opportunities for Molded Interconnect Devices by using thermally conductive thermoplastics as substrate materials. Therefore, a polyamide 66 polymer was modified with aluminum oxide and gains thermal conductivity above 2 W/m·K. This compound was employed for three dimensional circuit carriers with integrated cooling fins manufactured by means of injection molding. Hot embossing tests indicate that it is possible to metallize the highly filled polymers at sufficient adhesion. For mounting and interconnecting electronic components by reflow soldering in a forced convection reflow soldering oven, a homogeneous temperature distribution, due to the thermal conductivity, enables enhanced process windows. Using test specimens with mounted LEDs, results of current research work are presented dealing with evaluating thermal footprints. The aim is to optimize manufacturing as well as component cooling.