New Phosphorus-based Curing Agents for PWB



New Phosphorus-based Curing Agents for PWB
As a result of the continuous industrial trend towards high density packaging there is a growing demand for highly thermally-stable laminate materials.
Materials Tech

DOWNLOAD

Authored By:


A. Piotrowski, M. Zhang, S. Levchik
ICL-IP, Tarrytown, NY, USA

Y. Zilberman, Eran Gluz
IMI (Tami) Institute for R&D Ltd., Haifa, Israel

Summary


As a result of the continuous industrial trend towards high density packaging there is a growing demand for highly thermally-stable laminate materials. Although the epoxy resin defines the thermal stability, often the flame retardant used becomes the limiting factor in achieving a higher stability. Recognizing this industrial need, the company has developed a new flame-retardant curing agent, Material A.

This is a phosphorus-based polymer which cures epoxy via a very specific mechanism. Common Novolac epoxy resins cured with Material A and a phenol-formaldehyde resin show a Tg >180 Celsius and Td >400 Celsius. In addition to a high thermal stability, Material A also shows a dielectric loss factor lower than commercial phosphorus-based flame retardants.

Conclusions


Material A is a reactive FR specifically designed for high performance laminates. It is a polymeric, phosphorus-based, multifunctional curing agent. The high degree of crosslinking when using Material A results in a high or very high Tg, depending on the formulation. In addition, this material is very thermally stable, even before cure. This, combined with a unique curing mechanism, results in highly thermally-stable laminates even when using simple epoxy Novolacs, with the onset of decomposition above 400 Celsius.

Material A is suitable for high temperature applications. It enables the achievement of a V-0 rating in an unfilled epoxy system with a low, 2.5% P level. These properties, combined with low water-uptake; compatibility, with low Dk and Df resins and low CTE both before and after Tg, enable the use of Material A in a variety of applications.

Initially Published in the IPC Proceedings

Comments

No comments have been submitted to date.

Submit A Comment


Comments are reviewed prior to posting. You must include your full name to have your comments posted. We will not post your email address.

Your Name


Your Company
Your E-mail


Your Country
Your Comments