Inorganic Confromal Coatings for SIC Packaging

Glass is an attractive material for microelectronic packaging because it is hermetically sealing, has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, and is compatible with d.c. circuits. Unfortunately, the working temperature of glass is too high for this application. Low-temperature processing of a sol-gel derived, aluminosilicate material for hermetic seals is proposed for electronic packaging. This material has 100 times less surface area than similar ceramics, which gives it excellent sealing properties. TPL proposes innovative processing to apply this technology to microelectronic packaging. The sol-gel chemistry and firing conditions will be optimized to make an hermetic coating at low temperatures. The water:alkoxide and solvent:alkoxide ratios will be adjusted to tailor the precursor solution. Methods to produce thick films will be employed to apply this material to electronic packages. TPL has extensive experience and resources in sol-gel technology and helped to develop this aluminosilicate material. The PI is a pioneering researcher in multi-component sol-gel processing.