Investigation of Variable Frequency Microwave Processing for Electronic Packaging Applications

Abstract

This paper summarizes the effects of the variable frequency microwave (VFM) technique for rapid cure of polymeric encapsulants (such as flip-chip underfills) on the performance and reliability of electronic devices. Initial electrical performance of selected commercial IC packages following the application of VFM radiation stress has been recorded, and the performance has been compared to packages that were treated with comparable temperature cycles as applied in a convection oven. Failure analysis was performed on packages that showed electrical degradation to identify likely degradation and failure modes of the packaged ICs. Overall, our results show that VFM technology can safely be applied as an electronic packaging technology. However, proper control of VFM operating parameters is needed to ensure favorable performance of electronic devices.