Silicone materials for IC packaging and opto-electronics

The advantages for using silicone materials in electronic and opto-electronic applications are varied. Their unique flexibility and stress relieving nature make them attractive for absorbing CTE mismatches on thermal cycling. Thermal and moisture protection provided by these materials are key in enhancing reliability and service life of semiconductor devices. With new silicone materials appearing on the horizon, these advantages will extend to future wafer level made packages as well as to those more traditional packages limited in their reliability by the kind of materials used in their construction. In opto-electronic applications, silicones offer some unique properties which could lead to new functionality by temperature controlled refractive index or movements. Also, silicones are uniquely suited to help introduce non-hermetic packages for optoelectronic devices.