Characterization of encapsulants for high-voltage, high-temperature power electronic packaging

Seven encapsulants with operating temperature up to 250°C have been surveyed for possible use in high-temperature, high-power planar packages. Processability was assessed by studying the flow fronts and the cured properties of the surveyed materials between paralleled plates. Two encapsulants did not pass the flow test, and another two did not pass the curing test. Material E, F, and G were confirmed to be comparably stable with respect to temperature, and both dielectric strength and dielectric permittivity decreased around 40% and 30%, respectively, as the temperature increased from 25°C to 250°C. The thermal aging test showed that materials were hardened during the aging process, and cracking started in the material matrix. The dielectric strength of the sample would significantly drop to only around 10 kV/mm once cracking occurred.