Synthesis and modification of trifunctional epoxy resin with amine terminated polydimethyl siloxanes for semiconductor encapsulation application

Epoxy resins based on the triglycidyl ether of tris(hydroxyphenyl)methane (TETM) possess a very high heat distortion temperature and superior thermal oxidative stability over other types of epoxy resins. The high performance trifunctional epoxy resin (TETM) was synthesized by the condensation of a hydroxybenzaldehyde with phenol followed by epoxidation with a halohydrin. The structure of the synthesized TETM was confirmed by infrared (IR), mass spectra (MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Amine terminated polydimethylsiloxanes (ATPDMS) were used to reduce the stress of trifunctional epoxy resin cured with phenolic novolac resin for electronic encapsulation applications. The dispersed silicone rubbers effectively reduce the stress of cured epoxy resins by reducing the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and flexural modulus, while the glass transition temperature (T_g) is depressed by only a small amount.