Thermally stimulated discharge in fractional component and moisture effect studies of epoxy encapsulants

Thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) is used to characterize fractional components of epoxy encapsulation systems used on semiconductor devices. Previous work is reviewed. Present results based on individual components and component interactions are detailed. Various resin/hardener systems are examined and are not found to be major contributors to TSD structure when balanced by epoxy equivalent weight. Catalyst additions reveal increased TSD structure, especially for low levels. TSD is suggested as a cure indicator for epoxy systems. Moisture is found to resolve thermogram structure, and TSD is found to be a viable method of studying moisture effects.