Silicone-based hybrids, hotmelts and die-attach film solutions address top trends; offer differentiated benefits vs. epoxies and other organics

MIDLAND, Mich. - December 20, 2021 - Dow (NYSE: Dow) will preview its latest silicone technologies for advanced semiconductor packaging at SEMICON® Taiwan 2021 in Booth #I2616. These next-generation silicone-organic hybrid adhesives, silicone hotmelt solutions and silicone die-attach films (DAF) deliver improved performance, durability, uniformity and processability vs. traditional organics. Dow's high-performance technologies are engineered to address top trends in advanced semiconductor packaging, including ever-thinner, smaller and more-complex designs, by mitigating stress from mismatched coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) that can cause warpage. They also provide greater durability and reliability for applications exposed to harsh environmental conditions in industries such as aerospace and automotive electronics.

In addition to displaying posters, example applications and demos at its booth, Dow will participate in the TechXPOT conference at the show. Roderick Chen, technical service and development specialist for Dow, will present on "Novel Silicone Hotmelt Solutions for Microelectronics" at 1:40 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

"While advanced packaging designs are essential to meet increasing demand for higher performance and expanded functionality in electronics, they can also place greater thermal, electrical and mechanical stresses on the chip," said Jayden Cho, Dow's global segment leader for Displays & Microelectronics. "To address this situation and help customers improve quality, consistency and processability, Dow has developed an array of novel silicone technologies specifically designed for side-by-side and stacked chip configurations and MEMS devices. Our breakthrough silicone products surpass organics by optimizing thermal stability, stress relaxation and durability in many different types of packaging."

Differentiated Silicone Technologies
Dow's new silicone technologies provide fresh solutions to enable complex packaging designs, such as multi-stacked packages and coreless substrates. They also have important advantages over organics and can help customers resolve issues such as warpage, delamination, bleed-out and premature failure that can occur with epoxies and other incumbent materials.

The new DAF solutions, which are cured silicone films, offer excellent uniformity for precise thickness and eliminate fillets and bleed-out that commonly occur with epoxy adhesives. Low modulus ensures good sensing accuracy, especially for environmental sensors.

Dow's hybrid solutions combine silicone and organics in a unique formulation. These adhesives deliver enhanced mechanical properties that silicone alone can't achieve, such as higher modulus and strong adhesion to various surfaces. Potential applications include flip chip packaging, which can experience delamination after harsh reliability testing when epoxy mold underfill is used. The hybrid solutions also feature excellent optical properties, enabling them to be used in optical devices.

The company's silicone hotmelt technologies, offered in three formats (film, cartridge and tablet), provide excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates, as well as stress relief for warpage mitigation.
• The hotmelt film can be vacuum laminated for chip encapsulation or bonding over a large area, which is a simpler process than molding. It is especially valuable for substrates that warp easily, such as flexible, coreless packaging.
• The silicone hotmelt cartridge solution for compression molding provides better workability and thermal stability compared to commercial liquid silicone hotmelts for chip encapsulation and soft molding.
• The hotmelt tablet technology is designed for transfer molding, where it provides properties similar to those of conventional epoxy molding compound (EMC), plus exceptional thermal stability to at least 250°C.

Dow invites attendees at SEMICON Taiwan to stop by its booth (#I2616) for additional information on these novel silicone technologies.

To learn more, visit Dow's at www.dow.com

About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company, with a purpose to deliver a sustainable future for the world through our materials science expertise and collaboration with our partners. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer care. Dow operates 106 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $39 billion in 2020. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.

For further information, please contact:

Eileen Zeng, Dow
+86.21.3851.1604
eyzeng@dow.com

Jo Duran, AH&M Inc.
+1.413.329.6887
jduran@ahminc.com