LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMERS FOR ADVANCED INTERCONNECT SUBSTRATES

LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMERS PROCESSED FROM ANISOTROPIC MELTS CAN BE USED FOR CIRCUIT SUBSTRATES TO SOLVE PACKAGING PROBLEMS FACING HIGH PERFORMANCE INTERCONNECT BOARD TECHNOLOGY. RECENT ADVANCES IN SMT (SURFACE MOUNT TECHNOLOGY), MULTILAYER BOARD CONSTRUCTION, AND HIGH SPEED DENSELY PACKED CIRCUITS HAVE OUTSTRIPPED THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUBSTRATES USED TO CONNECT MICROELECTRIC COMPONENTS. CERAMIC MATERIALS HAVE PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE, BUT ARE TOO FRAGILE FOR MANY APPLICATIONS AND ARE CURRENTLY HAMPERED BY COMPLEX HIGH TEMPERATURE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES. XYDAR IS A LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMER WHICH HAS THE MECHANICAL, THERMAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES NEEDED TO REPLACE CERAMIC MATERIALS. MOREOVER, IT CAN BE MELT-PROCESSED WHICH GREATLY IMPROVES MANUFACTURABILITY AND ALLOWS APPLICATIONS NOT POSSIBLE WITH CERAMICS (THIN FLEXIBLE CIRCUITS, USE OF PIN GRID ARRAYS, ETC.). THE PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF PROCESSING XYDAR INTO FILM AND USING IT AS AN ELECTRONIC SUBSTRATE. BECAUSE OF HIGH DEGREE OF MOLECULAR ORDER, THE COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION CAN BE MATCHED TO SMDS BY MEANS OF CONTROLLED BIAXIAL ORIENTATION OF XYDAR FILMS. BONDING OF CONDUCTING PATHS AND LAMINATION OF MULTIPLE LAYERS WILL BE EVALUATED.