Microelectronics Reliability, Vol. 43, pp. 635-643, April, 2003

Diffusion and Absorption of Corrosive Gases in Electronic Encapsulants

C. Hillman, B. Castillo, and M. Pecht
CALCE EPSC
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Abstract:

Plastic encapsulated microcircuits with aluminum triple track structures were exposed to mixed flowing gas conditions to simulate and accelerate possible environments during long-term storage. No increase in resistance was measured and no corrosion products were observed after 800 hours of accelerated exposure. Further experimentation indicated that chloride gas reacts with surface moisture in microscale and macroscale voids within the encapsulant, creating chloride ions. These ions become strongly bound to ion getters present in the epoxy molding compound, trapping the chloride ions within the bulk encapsulant and effectively retarding the diffusion process, which could lead to corrosion at the surface of the die.

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