Patent Grant
9023249
1. Field of Invention
The invention pertains to materials and methods for polymer curing, particularly adhesive curing and bonding, and more particularly to methods for using energy conversion and photoinitiator chemistries in applications where access to an external light source is not available and/or where bonding without a coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch is desirable.
2. Discussion of the Background
Thermosetting polymers and adhesives are well known and are used for a wide variety of applications. One particularly important application domain is in the field of microelectronics assembly, where thermoset adhesives are used to bond bare die to substrate, establish conductive contacts, and perform various roles in packaging and sealing structures such as glob-top and die-underfill structures. Commercially available materials are formulated to meet various requirements, and in addition to the monomer(s) may contain particulate fillers such as metal, oxides, or dielectric powders, as well as various additives to control thermal conductivity, viscosity and other properties. The materials are typically dispensed as a thixotropic fluid in precise locations, and after all the parts are placed, the entire assembly is heated to a temperature necessary to polymerize the monomers or crosslink resins.
As modern electronic components evolve to smaller sizes, and integrated circuits include ever-smaller features such as ultra-shallow junctions, the permissible thermal budget during assembly continues to decrease. New memory device technologies, for example, incorporate phase-change materials that are temperature sensitive and may need to be assembled using low-temperature processing. Similarly, polymer composites used for dental restorations must be cured without subjecting the patient to high curing temperatures. To address these issues, many photo-curing polymer systems have been developed. In general, these systems employ at least one photoinitiator, which, when exposed to UV light, releases chemical energy to form free radicals or cations to initiate the reaction of the monomers at substantially ambient temperatures.
The clear limitation of conventional photoinitiators is the need to have direct line-of-sight access to a suitable light source. This prevents the use of conventional materials for advanced processes such as multilayer stacks of individual silicon dies, because there is no way to get the UV light into the interior of the stack.
Furthermore, the conventional UV curable adhesives cure from the outside surface of an adhesive bead to the inside of the adhesive bead; and, in most cases curing is accompanied by the formation of a skin. In the present invention curing is more controllable and can proceed across the entire volume of the adhesive bead.
One object of the present invention is to provide polymer formulations (i.e. monomers, photoinitiators, and energy converters) that can be cured by indirect photoinitiation, i.e. in the absence of line-of-sight access to the external energy source.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive composition that may be cured at ambient temperature.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flowable adhesive composition containing a photoinitiator and an energy converter, preferably a downconverter such as a phosphor or scintillator material (or a combination of a phosphor and a scintillator material).
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible sheet adhesive material capable of being polymerized by selected ionizing radiation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for adhesive bonding at ambient temperature, as well as a method of adhesive bonding suitable for bonding silicon dies or wafers in a stack at ambient temperature, along with a wide variety of other enduses.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention, either alone or in combinations thereof, have been satisfied by the discovery of a curable adhesive composition comprising:
a polymerizable or crosslinkable organic vehicle comprising at least one polymerizable monomer or a plurality of crosslinkable polymer chains;
at least one photo-initiator responsive to a selected wavelength of light; and,
at least one energy converting material selected to emit said wavelength of light when exposed to a selected imparted radiation;
and its use in preparation of various assemblies and constructions.
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:
A new class of curable adhesives is provided by the present invention. This new class of adhesives has one or more of the following desirable attributes:
These attributes make it possible to achieve certain adhesive curing applications which were not previously attainable, as well as improve on already existing adhesive curing applications. The present invention adhesive curing leads to novel assemblies and processing methods that are advantageous compared to the state of the art.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a way to bond materials at ambient temperature using photoinitiator chemistries that convert absorbed light energy (typically UV light) to chemical energy in the form of initiating species such as free radicals or cations and thereby initiate a polymerization reaction in a monomer-containing adhesive. In another aspect, the invention provides a way to perform photo-initiation in situations where the area to be bonded is not accessible to an external light source.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the adhesive composition comprises: an organic vehicle comprising at least one polymerizable monomer; at least one photo-initiator responsive to a selected wavelength of light; and, at least one energy converting material selected to emit the selected wavelength of light when exposed to a selected imparted radiation.
According to another aspect of the invention, the method of adhesive bonding comprises the steps of: a) placing a polymerizable adhesive composition, including at least one photoinitiator and at least one energy converting material, in contact with two or more components to be bonded to form an assembly; and, b) irradiating the assembly with radiation at a first wavelength, capable of conversion by the at least one energy converting material, preferably a down converting material such as a phosphor, to a second wavelength capable of activating the at least one photoinitiator.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the method of adhesive bonding comprises the steps of: a) attaching the at least one photoinitiator and at least one energy converting material with one another using such methods as adsorption or chemical bonding through a tether and then mixing the chemistry hence formed into the mix with a resin.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, a method for creating joints and establishing adhesion between 2 different substrates comprises using an adhesive system that in turn contains a plurality of synthetic polymeric chains and at least one photoinitiator that is a photoactive cross-linking agent. In this case the role of the at least one photoinitiator as a photo-active cross-linking agent is to link one polymer chain to another by forming bonds that can be covalent or ionic in nature. In this case the initial viscous material is transformed to a solid material through the formation of a 3D network structure achieved by creating links between pre-existing chains in a resin system. Such cross-linking can be applicable to both synthetic polymers (for adhesives) and to natural polymers (such as protein or DNA).
The inventive material of one embodiment of the present invention comprises two primary components: first, a monomer composition including at least one photoinitiator; and second, at least one energy converting material capable of absorbing an imparted energy and converting the energy to produce photons in a spectral range that can be absorbed by the at least one photoinitiator, and thus initiate polymerization of the monomer composition. Preferably, the energy converting material is a downconverting material capable of absorbing higher-energy photons (typically X-rays) and down-converting to produce lower-energy photons (typically UV, but also visible light) in a spectral range that can be absorbed effectively by the photoinitiator. Optional components include, without limitation: organic and inorganic fillers such as oxides, dielectrics, conductors, fibers, etc.; plasticizers; pore-formers; and other physical additives.
In an alternative embodiment, the curable adhesive composition comprises a plurality of cross-linkable polymer chains rather than the polymerizable monomer. In this embodiment, the photoinitiator is one that is capable, upon activation, of creating crosslinks between the cross-linkable polymer chains to form a 3D polymer network, thus curing the adhesive composition by crosslinking. While many of the embodiments below are described based upon the embodiment using a curable adhesive composition comprising polymerizable monomer, this description is merely for convenience and use of the curable adhesive composition comprising the plurality of cross-linkable polymer chains can be equally substituted in the described embodiments.
In the present invention, the energy converting material can be any material that can convert the imparted energy either into higher energy photons (“upconverting material”) or into lower energy photons (“downconverting material”). Suitable upconverting materials and downconverting materials are described in U.S. provisional patent application 61/161,328, filed Mar. 18, 2009; U.S. provisional patent application 61/259,940, filed Nov. 10, 2009; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/954,263, filed Aug. 6, 2007, and 61/030,437, filed Feb. 21, 2008; U.S. application Ser. No. 12/059,484, filed Mar. 31, 2008; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/935,655, filed Nov. 6, 2007; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/042,561, filed Apr. 4, 2008; 61/035,559, filed Mar. 11, 2008; and 61/080,140, filed Jul. 11, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/401,478 filed Mar. 10, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/935,655, filed Nov. 6, 2007; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/059,484, filed Mar. 31, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/389,946, filed Feb. 20, 2009; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/417,779, filed Apr. 3, 2009, the entire disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The imparted energy can be any desired energy as needed to penetrate the material between the imparted energy source and the adhesive composition itself. For example, the imparted energy can be near-infrared (NIR), with an upconverting material to convert the imparted energy into UV photons that can be absorbed by the photoinitiator used. Preferably, the imparted energy is X-ray energy, with the energy converting material being a downconverting material, such as a phosphor or scintillator. For convenience, the following discussion will refer to downconverting materials and the use of X-rays as the imparted energy. However, this is not intended to be limiting of the present invention and any desired combination of imparted energy and energy converting material can be used, so long as the photons generated by the energy converting material are capable of being absorbed by the photoinitiator.
The associated method comprises two essential steps: a) placing a polymerizable adhesive composition, including a photoinitiator and down-converting material, in contact with two or more components to be bonded to form an assembly; and, b) irradiating the assembly with radiation at a first wavelength, capable of down-conversion by the phosphor to a second wavelength capable of activating the photoinitiator. Optional steps include, without limitation: dispensing the adhesive in a selected pattern through a needle or screen printing the adhesive through a mask having a selected pattern; photo-patterning the adhesive; pre-forming the adhesive into a sheet having isotropic or anisotropic conductivity; and applying pressure to the adhesive bond during the curing process.
The dispensing of the adhesive and the adhesive properties can preferably be adjusted to meet the following:
For reference purposes, listed below are generally accepted approximate wavelength, frequency, and energy limits of the various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum:
3 × 109-3 × 1011
Several application domains can benefit from this new class of adhesive and methods used to cure such new class of adhesives and these include:
Bonding Of Semiconductors such as wafer bonding, die to wafer bonding, die on die bonding, package on package assembly at room temperature, etc. This is a particularly useful area for anisotropically conductive adhesives.
Encapsulation Of Semiconductors: Such as glob top, dam and fill, molding (PMC), insertion molding and flip chip underfill.
Semiconductor lithography: the present invention adhesive compositions and corresponding constituent material chemistries can be used in front end semiconductors to pattern gate structures. The photolithography applications include the use of photoresist materials that have negative or positive tones and development. The exposure of X-rays can be gated by adjustable apertures (particularly those made from lead), with programmable distances to allow X-rays to interact with specific areas of the dispensed adhesive. Furthermore, patterning using X-rays can be performed by masks containing heavy metals that attenuate X-ray in some areas and not others.
Other methods of patterning can bypass all mask work by using imprint lithography. In this case, dip transfer methods and stamping methods can be used to deposit a pattern that contains the adhesive composition with features containing energy converting particles. In this case X-ray would cure the adhesive areas with the conversion particles contained within.
The present invention also provides the ability to prepare novel composites. A novel ply (the fundamental Building Block for composites) contains fibers coated with polymer resins, energy converting particles and suitable catalyst/photoinitiator systems. This novel prepreg material is used for the build up process (Cross-ply, unidirectional ply) used in composites to yield light weight structures and shapes ranging from simple shapes to complex 3D shapes and structures (such as a round vessel). The stack up or build up is then exposed to X-ray for curing and solidification.
Bonding Of Composites: Bonding of composites to other composites, to metals and metal alloys, to rubbers, to leather and to inorganic materials (such as ceramics), particularly useful in bonding of non-like materials to one another.
Attaching mechanical fasteners to composites: Bonding of small metallic components to large composite panels such as rivets can be useful to fasten 2 separate structures. Conventionally, this requires the use of metal on metal contact to accomplish a welded connection. The present invention adhesives enable much wider manufacturing freedom of operation. For aerospace and automotive applications, for example, a KUKA robot (sold by KUKA Aktiengesellschaft of Augsburg, Germany) can be equipped with an adhesive applicator (such as a dispenser) and an X-ray source as well as a pick and place machine to: dispense the adhesive, perform optical inspection, place a rivet and hold it in place, and cure with X-ray, all within a record time compared to any other known methods. Furthermore, the advantage of room temperature bonding minimizes warpage.
Natural composites: The fabrication of large wood beams, or other natural composite materials, is conventionally accomplished, for example, from small wood pieces by resin coating the wood pieces and bonding the assembly under high pressure and heat to cure the adhesive. The present invention adhesives allow room temperature bonding and no moisture needs to be volatized during cure. This is far better than the conventional methods of making such composites which typically use microwaves for heat generation, but creates enormous amounts of heat in the process, sometimes even resulting in the workpiece catching fire!
Bonding Of Metals: bonding metallic chassis and doors in automotives (to replace conventional induction heating). Metal sheets are bent in special shapes and then adhesively bonded together by first dispensing a bead around the chassis and mating the metallic pieces, fixing their position, followed by curing using the present invention method and composition.
Fluidic Channels: Creation of fluidic channels in plastics, metals and inorganic substrates by bonding patterned substrates together to form said fluidic channels. The joining of dissimilar plastics, the joining of semiconductors to plastic can be done without the mismatch induced by thermal expansion.
Multichip Modules: Die on KOVAR substrate, as well as lid sealing on multi-chip-modules.
MEMS: Sealing MEMS with glass wafers at room temperature (without head shift).
Optoelectronics: Alignment for maximizing light intensity yield (DWDM) and apply adhesive and cure at room temperature (maintain maximum light intensity passage). Align fiber in V-groove and cure and align multi-channels fibers and cure while maintaining light intensity passage.
Attaching deformable substrates, particularly dissimilar substrates: Attaching rubber to foam, leather to rubber, leather to leather, or fabric to fabric, or any combination of deformable substrates.
Other preferred applications of the present invention adhesives technology include, but are not limited to:
One particularly preferred application domain is in the field of microelectronics assembly, where thermoset adhesives are used to bond bare die to substrate, establish conductive contacts, and perform various roles in packaging and sealing structures such as glob-top and die-underfill structures. Commercially available materials are formulated to meet various requirements, and in addition to the monomer(s) may contain particulate fillers such as metal or dielectric powders, as well as various additives to control viscosity and other properties. The materials are typically dispensed as a thixotropic fluid in precise locations, and after all the parts are placed, the entire assembly is heated to a temperature necessary to polymerize the monomers. The present invention avoids the need to use such heating and can generate curing of the adhesive without risking warpage or other heat damage to the microelectronics.
As modern electronic components evolve to smaller sizes, and integrated circuits include ever-smaller features such as ultra-shallow junctions, the permissible thermal budget during assembly continues to decrease. Similarly, polymer composites used for dental restorations must be cured without subjecting the patient to high curing temperatures. To address these issues, many photo-curing polymer systems have been developed. In general, these systems employ a photoinitiator, which, when exposed to UV light, releases chemical energy in the form of free radicals or cations to initiate the reaction of the monomers at substantially ambient temperatures.
The clear conventional limitation of photoinitiators is the need to have direct access to a suitable light source. This prevents the use of conventional materials for advanced processes such as multilayer stacks of individual silicon dies, because there is no way to get the UV light into the interior of the stack. These limitations are not present with the present invention adhesives, since the present invention adhesives can be readily cured by application of ionizing radiation, such as X-rays to cure the adhesive in place with minimal heat generated.
In the description that follows, various aspects of the invention will be described in greater detail so that the skilled artisan may gain a fuller understanding of how the invention may be made and used. Although the present description discusses the use of X-ray as the triggering radiation for the curing process, other types of ionizing radiation can be used as the triggering radiation, using similar down-converting agents, including, but not limited to, gamma rays or particle beams, such as proton beams or electron beams.
CTE-Mismatch
The mismatch between the coefficients of thermal expansion of different materials can be illustrated through the following table. The present invention enables joining materials without heat and hence circumvents the stresses that are typically trapped during thermal heating necessitated by thermal curing adhesives. The current invention enables curing between materials of drastically different CTEs.
Photoinitiators
The first essential component of the inventive material is a monomer system including a photoinitiator. The radical polymerization of formulations based on acrylate or styrene has been widely developed. It typically relies on radiation curing using near UV (300-400 nm range), although photoinitiators are now available in the visible up to the IR range as well as into the deep UV range. Cationic photoinitiators, which produce either a Lewis or Bronsted acid, may be used as initiators for cationically polymerizing materials (e.g., epoxies) and for resins that are capable of crosslinking via polycondensation reactions.
Photoinitiators are typically divided into two classes: Type I photoinitiators which undergo a unimolecular bond cleavage when irradiated, yielding free radicals, and Type II photoinitiators which undergo a bimolecular reaction, in which the excited state of the photoinitiator interacts with a second molecule (called a coinitiator) to generate free radicals. UV photoinitiators may be of either Type I or Type II, whereas visible light photoinitiators are almost exclusively Type II.
Type I UV photoinitiators include, but are not limited to, the following classes of compounds: benzoin ethers, benzil ketals, α-dialkoxyacetophenones, α-aminoalkylphenones, and acylphosphine oxides. Type II UV photoinitiators include, but are not limited to, benzophenones/amines and thioxanthones/amines. Visible photoinitiators include, but are not limited to, titanocenes.
It will be appreciated that the most efficient system will be one in which the particular photoinitiator is selected based on two considerations, viz., the type of monomer system and the type of light available.
A large number of useful photoinitiator compounds are known in the art. The following compounds [available from Sigma-Aldrich Corp., St. Louis, Mo.] have been characterized and their UV absorbance spectra are available: Acetophenone, 99%; Anisoin, 95%; Anthraquinone, 97%; Anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid, sodium saltmonohydrate, 97%; (Benzene)tricarbonylchromium, 98%; Benzil, 98%; Benzoin, sublimed, 99.5+%; Benzoin ethyl ether, 99%; Benzoin isobutyl ether, tech., 90%; Benzoin methyl ether, 96%; Benzophenone, 99%; Benzophenone/1-Hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 50/50 blend; 3,3′,4,4′-Benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride, sublimed, 98%; 4-Benzoylbiphenyl, 99%; 2-Benzyl-2-(dimethylamino)-4′-morpholinobutyrophenone, 97%; 4,4′-Bis(diethylamino)benzophenone, 99+%; 4,4′-Bis(dimethylamino)benzophenone, 98%; Camphorquinone, 98%; 2-Chlorothioxanthen-9-one, 98%; (Cumene)cyclopentadienyliron(II) hexafluorophosphate, 98%; Dibenzosuberenone, 97%; 2,2-Diethoxyacetophenone, 95%; 4,4′-Dihydroxybenzophenone, 99%; 2,2-Dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, 99%; 4-(Dimethylamino)benzophenone, 98%; 4,4′-Dimethylbenzil, 97%; 2,5-Dimethylbenzophenone, tech., 95%; 3,4-Dimethylbenzophenone, 99%; Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide/2-Hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone, 50/50 blend; 4′-Ethoxyacetophenone, 98%; 2-Ethylanthraquinone, 97+%; Ferrocene, 98%; 3′-Hydroxyacetophenone, 99+%; 4′-Hydroxyacetophenone, 99%; 3-Hydroxybenzophenone, 99%; 4-Hydroxybenzophenone, 98%; 1-Hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 99%; 2-Hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone, 97%; 2-Methylbenzophenone, 98%; 3-Methylbenzophenone, 99%; Methybenzoylformate, 98%; 2-Methyl-4′-(methylthio)-2-morpholinopropiophenone, 98%; Phenanthrenequinone, 99+%; 4′-Phenoxyacetophenone, 98%; Thioxanthen-9-one, 98%; Triarylsulfonium hexafluoroantimonate salts, mixed, 50% in propylene carbonate; and Triarylsulfonium hexafluorophosphate salts, mixed, 50% in propylene carbonate.
Other suitable photoinitiators include the various IRGACURE products commercially available from BASF Corporation. The Key Products Selection Guide 2003 for Photoinitiators for UV Curing is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. A representative chemical class of photoinitiators is provided as examples. It would be appreciated that derivatives of such chemistries is also included. The representative list includes alpha-Hydroxyketone and derivatives based on (1-Hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone; 2-Hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanone; 2-Hydroxy-1-[4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)phenyl]-2-methyl-1-propanone). Phenylglyoxylate and derivatives based on (Methylbenzoylformate; oxy-phenyl-acetic acid 2-[2 oxo-2 oxy-phenyl-acetic acid 2-[2 oxo-2 phenyl-acetoxy-ethoxy]-ethyl ester and oxy-phenyl-acetic 2-[2-hydroxy-ethoxy]-ethyl ester). Benzyldimethyl-ketal and derivatives based on (Alpha, alpha-dimethoxy-alpha-phenylacetophenone). Alpha-Aminoketone and derivatives based on (2-Benzyl-2-(dimethylamino)-1-[4-(4-morpholinyl)phenyl]-1-butanone; 2-Methyl-1-[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2-(4-morpholinyl)-1-propanone/IRGACURE 369 (30 wt %)+IRGACURE 651 (70 wt %). Mono Acyl Phosphine (MAPO) and derivatives based on (Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phosphine oxide. MAPO alpah-Hydroxyketone and derivatives based on DAROCUR TPO (50 wt %)+DAROCUR 1173 (50 wt %). Bis Acyl Phosphine (BAPO) and derivatives based on Phosphine oxide, phenyl his (2,4,6-trimethyl benzoyl). BAPO Dispersion based on (IRGACURE 819 (45% active) dispersed in water). BAPO/alpha-Hydroxyketone (IRGACURE 819 (20 wt %)+DAROCUR 1173 (80 wt %). Metallocene (Bis(eta 5-2,4-cyclopentadien-1-yl), Bis[2,6-difluoro-3-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl), phenyl]titanium). Iodonium salt and derivatives based on Iodonium, (4-methylphenyl) [4-(2-methylpropyl)phenyl]-, hexafluorophosphate(1-).
The organic vehicle of the present invention can comprise a polymerizable composition or a crosslinkable composition. The term organic vehicle is used herein to indicate the portion of the curable adhesive composition that ultimately forms the resin upon curing, whether by polymerization or crosslinking. Thus, a polymerizable organic vehicle comprises at least one polymerizable monomer. A crosslinkable organic vehicle thus comprises a plurality of crosslinkable polymer chains. Ideally, the organic vehicle is of a suitable viscosity for dispensing/applying to the desired substrate.
The monomer system may be selected based upon overall requirements such as strength, flexibility or compliance, matching with substrate properties, and the type of bonding involved, such as electrically conductive bonding versus a strictly structural adhesive bond.
Some suitable monomer systems that may be used for various applications of the invention include, without limitation: epoxies, phenolics, urethanes, acrylics, cyanoacrylates, silicones, polysulfides, polyimides, polyphenylquinoxalines, and styrenes. A source for suitable monomer chemistries is “Engineered Materials Handbook: Adhesives and Sealants, Volume III (v. 3)” CRC Press, 1990, by Cyril A. Dostal, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In one particularly interesting embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive can be used to bond living tissue to living tissue, such as in adhesive suturing of wounds or surgical openings. Any monomer system resulting in a polymer that is biocompatible can be used in such applications, with preference given to the cyanoacrylates commonly already used in wound care, but with an X-ray initiated cure by down converting the X-ray into an energy sufficient to promote the curing of monomer based adhesive. The X-ray based curing described herein further includes adhesives based on crosslinking polymeric chains through activation of appropriate cross-linking agents.
Energy Converting Materials
The second essential component of the inventive material is a material capable of converting the imparted energy and converting it to photons in a spectral range that can be absorbed effectively by the photoinitiator. Preferably, the energy converting material is a downconverting material capable of absorbing higher-energy photons (typically from ionizing radiation such as X-rays) and down-converting to produce lower-energy photons (typically UV) in a spectral range that can be absorbed effectively by the photoinitiator. These materials are broadly classified in two classes: scintillators and phosphors. Many down-converter materials are known, including, without limitation: metal oxides; metal sulfides; doped metal oxides; or mixed metal chalcogenides. Also included in this category are organic-inorganic hybrid scintillators such as disclosed by Kishimoto et al. (Appl. Pys Lett. 2008, 93, 261901), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Many other downconverting particles, upconverting particles, plasmonics active particles and combinations of these are disclosed in U.S. provisional patent application 61/161,328, filed Mar. 18, 2009; U.S. provisional patent application 61/259,940, filed Nov. 10, 2009; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/954,263, filed Aug. 6, 2007, and 61/030,437, filed Feb. 21, 2008; U.S. application Ser. No. 12/059,484, filed Mar. 31, 2008; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/935,655, filed Nov. 6, 2007; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/042,561, filed Apr. 4, 2008; 61/035,559, filed Mar. 11, 2008; and 61/080,140, filed Jul. 11, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/401,478 filed Mar. 10, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/935,655, filed Nov. 6, 2007; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/059,484, filed Mar. 31, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/389,946, filed Feb. 20, 2009; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/417,779, filed Apr. 3, 2009, the entire disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Phosphor selection criteria were based on peak intensity of the emission, peak position with UV of the emission, the need to have a workable phosphor with minimal storage requirements, handling and packaging, the ability of the phosphor to couple to X-ray energy, the control over its particle size and particle size distribution; and, finally their surface chemistry.
The peak emission target is between 310 nm and 400 nm or simply the UVA spectrum. It is desirable to have the maximum conversion of X-ray intensity into UVA intensity. This conversion described in various interrelated terms. Sometimes it is referred to as the quantum yield or probability of interaction between X-ray and phosphors. These interrelated terms include the coupling efficiency, emission effectiveness or the Effective-Z between the X-ray and the phosphor. A list of some of the best X-ray phosphors is reported in Table 1.
UVA/UVB Emissions
In some applications the desirable incident or initiation energy is different than X-ray (such as EUV) while the desirable down-converted output intensity remains in the UVA. In other applications the desirable incident or initiation energy is X-ray but the desirable down-converted energy output of the phosphor is in the UVB. Yet in other cases the desirable incident or initiation energy is X-ray but the desirable down-converted energy output of the phosphor is in the UVA and the UVB. The selected phosphors were selected to work with excitation sources including X-ray, extreme UV and e-beam. Within the X-ray regime, the selected phosphors can couple to a flux of X-ray photons emanating from commercially available equipment sources used for therapeutic tumor treatments, medical imaging and semiconductor inspection.
An example of a material that emits in the UVA regime is provided in
Mixed or Alloyed Phosphors
Another possibility of interest is the ability to mix at least 2 phosphors to broaden the output of the mixture compared with the starting phosphors. In this example 2 phosphors each emitting in a distinct region were mixed together and the output spectral output was measured to demonstrate the ability to influence the output intensity of the mixture compared to the starting materials. (See
The intensity of the initiation energy (X-ray in this case) influences the UV output of the phosphor. The following examples are provided to illustrate how modifying the intensity of photonic energy of X-ray can modulate the light output of the X-ray. The relative intensity output of a phosphor (CaOW4) was measured as a function of the energy of the X-ray photons. The X-ray energy was modified by modifying the peak voltages that exist between the filament and the target. The target in this case was tungsten. The measurements were carried out using the same mass of phosphor under 50 kvp, 90 kvp and 130 kvp. The relative intensity of the emission in arbitrary units is indicative but not conclusive in terms of comparing different materials. However, within the same conditions used to conduct measurements, it is clear that the higher X-ray intensity the higher the relative intensity of the emitted wavelength. (See
The phosphors can be synthesized from different chemicals and using different processes to control their morphology, influence their properties and light intensity output but more importantly their stability in ambient air environments. It is preferred to have phosphors that are not hygroscopic. Phosphors are easier to handle and to work with when they are stable in water and do not contain dopants that are toxic; however, even when phosphors are not stable in water and do contain dopants that are toxic, the particles of the phosphors can be coated using chemistry synthesis methods that leads to the build-up of a protective coating which shields the phosphor from the environment (water for example) and shields the environment from the toxic dopant in the phosphor (bromide for example). The protective coating can be silica or can be diamond or diamond-like carbon. Silica can be formed using sol-gel derived techniques. Diamond and diamond-like carbon can be derived from chemical vapor deposition (CVD) based on hydrogen-methane gas mixtures. Handling and packaging of phosphors can be achieved through dispersion in solution or in powder form. It was found that silica coated phosphors make a good powder that does not agglomerate.
In addition to high intensity, emission at the correct wavelengths, another desirable attribute of phosphors is to have low specific gravity (if possible). A low specific gravity may help avoid sedimentation and settling when the phosphors are mixed into another media such as a resin or a resin blend containing photo-initiators.
Rheology Adjustment
The particle size of the phosphor is a relevant factor. The smaller the particle size the higher the surface area. The small particles were found to alter the rheology of resins containing photo-catalysts more effectively than larger phosphor particles. The larger the particles size the higher the intensity output. The phosphors were found to perform well in terms of conversion of X-ray into UVA and activating photo-catalysts inside resin systems when they contain a particle size distribution (not a mono-modal particle size distribution). The phosphors having small particles (i.e. having a high surface area) were successfully used to increase the viscosity of the resin without the use of active silica (or AEROSIL). In fact, a new method was developed in that enough phosphor nano-particles are added to adjust viscosity in-lieu of active silica. The best photo-activation and viscosity adjustment was found when nano-particles were used with a phosphor having particles up to the 5 microns particle size. In essence bimodal distribution of particles helps the packing factor (or loading content of phosphors into the resin) as well as helps in terms of rheological control and UVA light intensity generation for the formulation of adhesives having controllable viscosity, good curing under X-ray. A tri-modal or large distribution of particle sizes are effective in balancing rheology of the adhesive and cure response of the adhesive under X-ray.
Organic Materials
In addition to the inorganic compounds (or phosphors) described in the current invention, organic compounds can be used to achieve the same purpose described in the current invention. Anthracene and anthracene based compounds can be used to achieve the objective of the invention (curing with no line of sight and thermal energy). Anthracene exhibits a blue (400-500 nm peak) fluorescence under ultraviolet light. Furthermore, it was found that antharacene exhibits fluorescence under X-Ray energy. Anthracene light output was measured to be 40% to 50% of Nal(Tl).
Various plastic scintillators, plastic scintillator fibers and related materials are made of polyvinyltoluene or styrene and fluors. These and other formulations are commercially available, such as from Saint Gobain Crystals, as BC-414, BC-420, BC-422, or BCF-10.
Other polymers are able to emit in the visible range and these include:
Furthermore, the organic compounds that can convert X-ray to UV energy can be interwoven into synthetic polymer chains. These chains can be used as the base resin system for a cross-linking adhesive; hence leading to the formation of a new set of X-ray activatable resin systems.
A listing of downconverting phosphors in ascending peak emission wavelengths is provided in the Table 2. Interestingly, phosphors from this table can be selected to provide selective emissions at peak emission wavelengths from 310-550 nm, thus providing a wide array of potential materials for activation of a wide array of photoinitiators.
UV receptive chemistries can be made more reactive by adding photo-sensitizers. This process is referred to as photo-sensitization. Certain photosensitive chemical compounds can be added to supplement photonic energy to the reactant and the reactant site to promote or enhance curing.
For UV curing applications, it is of interest to have chemistries that upon exposure to the UV radiation would form an intermediate in an excited state that in turn emits light of the correct wavelength for further curing to take place. In other words, a sensitizer plays a role in energy transfer.
Many light sensitizing chemistries are known and widely used in the industry and these include to name but a few, acenaphthene quinone, aceanthrene quinone, or a mixture thereof with anthrone and/or naphthaquinone, violanthrone, isoviolanthrone, fluoresceine, rubrene, 9,10-diphenylanthracene, tetracene, 13,13′-dibenzantronile, levulinic acid.
Spectral Matching
It will be appreciated that the most efficient system will be one in which the particular photo-initiator is selected based on its absorption, its photo-catalysis sensitivity to the intensity of the incident radiation (i.e.; the efficiency of energy transfer).
The emission wavelength in many embodiments of the present invention depends on the particular downconverter material chosen to carry out the cure of the photo-catalytic reaction under consideration. Accordingly, to ensure the most efficient energy transfer from the phosphor to the photoinitiator, the phosphors are paired with the correct photoinitiators to match the emitted frequency/wavelength from the down-converter material to the peak absorption of the photo-initiator. This is referred to as a spectral match in the current invention. The spectral matching mentioned above increases the chances of successful attempts needed to overcome the activation energy barrier gating reactions. Table 3 shows the relative peak absorption of certain photo-initiators and the relative peak emissions of certain phosphors. The pairing of photo-initiators and phosphors was done accordingly to the table and successfully demonstrated as illustrated in the examples.
Optimization of Distance
Furthermore, the distance between a phosphor particle and a photo-initiator influences the efficiency of energy transfer. The shorter the distance between the photo-initiators and the phosphors the better chances of energy transfer leading to successful reactions will take place. Inside a mixture of a curable system there are many particles and a relatively elevated concentration of photo-initiators. As a result, there is more than one distance between particles and photo-initiators. In these cases we refer to the average distance between phosphor particles and photo-initiators.
The photo-initiators can be adhered onto the surface of phosphor particles using tethering of adsorption techniques among others. In the case of tethering, a high vs. low molecular weight would be an effective way to change the distance between the photo-initiators and the particles respective surfaces. In the case of deposition through adsorption, the distance between the surface of the phosphors and the photo-initiators can be altered by inner-layering a coating that is transparent to the radiation emitted by the phosphors. SiO2 is an example of such inner layer since it is transparent to UV.
Packing factor and average distance between the phosphors and the photo-initiators can be impacted using a surface coating. The packing factor of a phosphor having innate surface chemistry would therefore be different than that for a phosphor having a relatively thick coating.
The combination of the spectral match defined above, the average distance between the photo-initiators and the phosphors, the intensity of radiation generated by the phosphor particles under an initiation radiation, the particle size distribution constitutes the most efficient embodiment of the present invention.
In regards to the packing factor of the phosphors, a large enough silica coating deposited on the surfaces of particles would change the effective packing factor of effective density of the powder (i.e.; mass per unit volume of powder). Similarly, a phosphor coated with a coating having an irregular shape can further influence the mass per unit volume. As an example a powder of an average particle size of 5 microns can be coated with a enough silica to obtain an average size of 15 microns.
The phosphor itself becomes more or less responsive to the incident X-ray beam as a result of the coating that can alter its effective density of the mass of the powder per unit volume. The probability of interaction between the X-ray energy and the phosphors decreases with increasing coating wall thickness. An illustration is provided in
By virtue of changing the concentration of phosphor or by changing the effective packing factor of the phosphor we can influence the probability of interaction of the X-ray energy with the phosphor filled resin. The intensity of X-ray can be attenuated differently between a phosphor that has a coating and an innate phosphor surface (see
The coated phosphors can be used as the filler in the resin system. The widely used filler in the industry is silica. In some cases alumina and boron-nitride are used. The silicate fillers are used to substitute some of the resin volume without degrading the properties of curable material. The filling of silica powder leads to cost savings. Filled systems are typically more mechanically stable and more cost effective than the unfilled systems.
Cure Categorization:
The UV curing materials can be diverse; but, as a general categorization, the following materials sets are outlined by specific resin families, associated initiators, cure mechanism and appropriate application. This is by no means an inclusive list but just a general categorization to further illustration. The current invention is compatible with each of these categories including radical cross-linking or polymerization, cationic crosslinking, base catalyzed crosslinking.
Radical Crosslinking:
Radical cross-linking or polymerization utilizes resin systems such as acrylates, maleates, styrenes. The initiators used in these cases include aromatic ketones such as phenyl-glyoxylates, phenyl-glyoxylates, alpha-amino ketones, benzildimethyl ketal, bisacylphosphine oxides, monoacylphosphine oxides, benzophenones.
The photoiniators for free-radical polymerization can generate reactive chemical intermediates such as those that occur in homolytic bond cleavage, hydrogen abstraction, photo-charge transfer. The addition of phosphors is compatible with the photo-reactive species and does not interfere with the basis of free radical polymerization including the 2-photons based processes.
By way of illustration, a two-photon photoleachable photoinitiator such as bisacylphosphine oxides may absorb a first photon of a given wavelength range (for example below 430 nm) to split into another photo-initiator type such as monoacylphosphine oxides that in turn can be activated using another photon of another wavelength range (below 415 nm) and lead to further radical species able to promote the formation of high molecular weight polymers.
The application of free radical cure encompasses a broad set of applications including coatings, electronic materials, and adhesives. The novel method described in the present invention extends the use of such free-radical cure into no line of site applications that cannot be accomplished otherwise and renders the use of deeply penetrating initiating radiation the source of energy that indirectly triggers the cure.
Cationic Crosslinking
Cationic crosslinking utilizes resin systems such as epoxides, vinyl ethers, oxetanes. The initiators used in these cases include diaryl iodonium salts, triaryl sulfonium salts and onium salts to name a few. The applications of such cationic crosslinking are found in electronic materials, inks and adhesives. The addition to these special salts triggers curing by proton generation which leads to cationic polymerization. The phosphors described in the current invention are applicable to cationic curing materials and their applications.
As an example of a curing with a photochemical initiators, a compound such as bisazide 4,4′-diazidodibenzalacetone-2,2′-disulfonic acid disodium salt can be added to a mix. This compound initiates the crosslinking upon irradiation at a wavelength of 360-370 nm which is a readily available wavelength. Another example include benzophenone can be used as a photo initiator in LTV-curing applications such as inks.
Base Catalyzed Crosslinking
Base catalyzed crosslinking utilizes resin systems such as epoxy, polyol/isocyanate, and Michael addition. The mechanism of curing is based on Lewis base generators. Applications of the base catalyzed crosslinking extend to coatings and adhesives.
Direct X-Ray Cure:
Direct curing with x-ray energy (with or without the use of phosphors) is also possible in the present invention. For example, one can add a chemical compound that has the capability of being activated directly under x-ray energy, such as methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP), which is an organic peroxide, to assist in initiating the polymerization. Also, benzoyl peroxide, another compound in the in the peroxide family that has two benzoyl groups bridged by a peroxide link, can be used to assist in the initiation of the polymerization under x-ray. The effect of phosphors and these peroxide based chemicals can be additive.
Co-Curing
In some applications it is useful to have 2 adhesive beads. One adhesive bead is filled with a phosphor having a high effective packing density and another adhesive bead having a lower packing density. In this case, under the same X-ray energy intensity, one bead would cure faster than the other. In some dam and fill applications, such as in RF-ID, one could apply a dam, cure it, and then fill and cure the fill. (See
Yet in another embodiment of the present invention, an insertion molded piece of plastic containing the appropriate amount of phosphor is added as part of the material to be cured. (See
Additionally photo-sensitizing chemistries can be used to enhance the photo-catalytic based reactions.
Sol Gel Coating Surface Modification for Special Phosphors.
Synthesizing phosphors in the micron and nanometer particle sizes can be done using various methods. Also various phosphors may have different surface chemistries. Some phosphors could be potentially hygroscopic or toxic in high doses. One way to enable the use of hygroscopic or potentially toxic phosphors is to form a containing barrier layer around phosphor particles. This has the double benefit of standardizing different phosphor chemistries to have the same common surface chemistry with predictable behavior as well as shield the phosphor inside a barrier layer. A sol-gel derived silicate coating is one method by which this can be achieved. Silica happens to be UV transparent and is congruent with most oxides and most phosphors that are not hygroscopic (as listed in the phosphor table).
The protective coating can be silica or can be diamond or diamond-like carbon. Silica can be formed using sol-gel derived techniques. Diamond and diamond-like carbon can be derived from CVD based on hydrogen-methane gas mixtures. These are but representative examples of the methods that are possible.
Dispersion:
The uniformity of dispersion of phosphors inside a resin is quite important. A uniform distribution of phosphors inside a curable system influences the homogeneity of the curable material and therefore the mechanical and optical properties of the curable material. The mixing uniformity and the particles size distribution have an influence on the curing system response in terms of cure extent as a function of time under the initiation energy. The uniformity of the dispersion can be short lived if the phosphors have a high specific density leading to settling in the resin. For this reason some surface modification techniques can be desirable to maintain the phosphors in suspension.
Dispersants
The surface of the phosphors can be modified for 2 general purposes. One method leads to tethering or adsorbing the photo-initiators onto the surface of the phosphors. The other method is to add dispersant chemistries to the surface of phosphors to enable the phosphors to remain in suspension after the adhesive is formulated and the ingredients have been mixed together. In general phosphors are preferred to be in powder form with minimal aggregation between particles. The dispersion of phosphor powder in a resin system can be achieved using various methods. These dispersion methods keep the phosphors in suspension by limiting or preventing the potential re-flocculation caused by the particles' Brownian motion at room temperature or at temperatures above room temperatures by 20° C. to 30° C. These slightly elevated above room temperature are useful in dispensing the adhesives through a needle using a piston or an auger pump.
The surface modification of the phosphors to maintain a uniform dispersion after mixing is important. Various organic polymer agents can be used to increase the wetting characteristics of the phosphors into the resin chemistry. Similarly, various dispersing agents can be added to maintain the phosphor particles in suspension inside the mix. The dispersing agents are built from polyurethane or polyacrylate polymeric structures having high molecular weight (3000-50000). Various dispersing agent are available in the market. The dispersants can be anchored onto inorganic surface by virtue of surface charge (the electrostatic attraction of oppositely charged surfaces) and can be anchored or adsorbed to the organic substances like the chains in the resin by virtue of dipolar interactions, hydrogen bonding and London/van-der-Waals forces. Once anchored in place the high molecular weight dispersants increase the steric hindrance for particles to diffuse too close to one another hence preventing agglomeration of phosphors.
Tethering
The downconverting particles and photo-initiators used in the present invention can be added as separate components to the curable adhesive formulation, or can be tethered to one another to provide increased likelihood of activation of the photoinitiator upon emission from the downconverting particles. Tethering of photoinitiators to the downconverting particles can be done by any conventional chemistry, so long as it does not interfere with the emission characterstics of the downconverting particles (other than potential slight movement of the peak emission in the red or blue direction), and so long as it does not interfere with the ability of the photoinitiator to initiate polymerization of the curable adhesive composition. One may also use combinations of two or more phosphors, two or more photoinitiators, or both, to achieve more complex curing kinetics. Further, one can use organic downconverters, such as anthracene, rather than the various inorganic downconverters noted above. With the organic downconverters, there are additional possibilities including, but not limited to, use of the organic downconverter material as a separate component in the curable adhesive composition, tethering the organic downconverter to the photoinitiator, as described for the inorganic downconverter particles above, or even incorporation of the organic downconverter groups into one or more of the monomer components of the curable adhesive composition.
One suitable chemistry for tethering inorganic downconverter particles to the photoinitiator is shown in
Rheology & Cost of Phosphors
Because the surface area (and hence the overall surface energy) of the nano-sized particles is very high, the viscosity rises quickly with the addition of a small amount of nano size powders. This limits the amount of filler that can be added. On one hand this limits the UV intensity that can be emitted by the phosphors under X-ray energy. On the other hand the limited filler loading that can be achieved is not economically favorable since fillers are typically less expensive than the base resins and catalysts. Furthermore, the viscosity increase with the addition of nano-size particles becomes excessive which limits the use of the adhesive to certain application categories but not others. In most adhesive application it is favorable to use micron size particles when possible. Though as stated earlier, the best mode calls for a bi-modal particle size distribution consisting of mixture of nano and micron size particles.
In general SiO2 is more cost effective compared to phosphors. This is not always the case. One method by which enough UV light output is achieved while safeguarding a favorable economic phosphors-utilization is to build a composite particle based on SiO2 as the core particle and decorated with the appropriate phosphors in terms of type and concentration necessary to achieve the targeted photo-catalytic reactions (i.e.; the right wavelength output and luminosity or intensity output).
Building Composited Particles
In applications that require the use of micron level particles that are cost effective down converters, the surface of a carrier particle made of silica can be decorated with desirable phosphors with nanometer particle size. The phosphors are chosen for the right emission UV wavelength and intensity under X-ray.
The downconverting particle comprises a composite of nanoparticles and a silicate carrier particle. The silicate carrier particle has the same surface characteristics as a particle typically used as a filler (including silica). In this case the down converting particles are bonded to the surface of the base carrier particle followed by a coating as shown in
By way of illustration the construction of such a composite particle is hereby provided. This description is non-inclusive of all the possibilities but provides one viable synthesis method.
The core or carrier particle can be made of glass, such as SiO2 or alkali-lead-silicate and have a diameter of about 2 microns. Nanometer-scale downconverting particles are applied to the surface of the core particle, and subsequently made to adhere or bond to the surface of the core particle (see
Quantum Dots and Alloyed Derivatives—
The downconverting particles, for example, can be quantum dots with the suitable range of downconversion from X-ray to UV. The quantum dots and/or oxides used for the downconversion process can further comprise elements, or alloys of compounds or elements tuned for plasmonic activity (see
After the carrier core particle is decorated with the down converting particles, coating the outer layer is desirable to encapsulate and protect the down converting particles as well as modify the surface. The outer layer coating can be accomplished using sol-gel processing followed by heat treatment. This leads to the formation of a composited particle consisting of a core particle with down-converting particles on the surface and the whole is coated with a silicate coating. (see
Tethering to Composite Particles
The present invention includes special provisions for a modified use of existing photoinitiators by tethering the photoinitiator to nanoparticles having downconverting properties. This close proximity of nanoparticle to photoinitiator maximizes the chance for photoinitiation or photo-catalysis, and can achieve improved cure efficiencies. (see
In the tethered case, the downconverting particles are added during mixing an adhesive preparation using tethered particles on a carrier particle and mixing into the adhesive. As an alternative embodiment, the tethered photoinitiator and downconverting particles can be positioned on the surfaces of micron level carrier particles. (See
Since in this particular embodiment, micron size particles (large particles) are added to the mix, the impact on adhesive rheology is minimized compared to adding nano-size particles. This method can thus present added advantages, including the ability to use the micron size particles as a filler to otherwise alter the cured adhesive or polymer properties.
Brighter Composite Particles
Achieving brighter particles can be done by having the carrier particle decorated with 2 layers of phosphors. First the carrier particle is decorated with nano-sized phosphors (
Surface Preparation:
Adhesion develops through various factors including mechanical interlocking, adsorption, electrostatic, diffusion, weak boundary layer, acid base, chemical (covalent bonding), etc. In general, the greater the surface irregularities and porosity at a joint area, the greater the joint strength. The greater the compatibility of the size of the adhesives and the interstices in the adherend, the greater the bond strength can be. Roughness of the surfaces can increase or decrease the joint strength.
The factors affecting joint strength include: surface energetics (wetting), intrinsic stresses and stress concentrations, mechanical response of various bulk phases and inter-phases involved, geometrical considerations, mode of applying external stresses, mode of fracture or separation, visco-elastic behavior.
The wetting and the setting of the adhesive bead is important for a good bond formation. The spreading co-efficient of an adhesive depends on the various surfaces and associated surface tensions involved. The surface tensions are referred to here as the energetic requirements. The substrate (solid), the adhesive (liquid) and the vapor (open air in most cases) all play a role. Wetting of the surface depends on the surface energy between the solid and the liquid, the liquid to vapor surface tension and between solid to vapor surface tension. Substrates such as Teflon, PET, Nylon, PE, and PS have low energy. Substrates such as metals, metal oxides, and ceramics have high energy.
The adhesive chemistry (the liquid in this example) can be tailored to adjust the energetic requirements at the various surfaces. But that is not sufficient. For example, most RTV silicone resins fulfill the energetic requirements but give negligible adhesion unless primers are used. Adhesive joints can be made stronger by surface treatments of the surfaces to be joined. Also inter-phases can be made between the adherend and the adhesive.
For the above considerations (surface energetic requirements and primers treatments) many surface modification techniques are used to achieve the goal of strong and durable adhesion at joints. The treatment of polymer surfaces is used for various reasons including one or more of the following list extending to making the polymers more adhesionable, increase their printability, make them more wettable, provide an enclosing layer, improve tribological behavior, potentially prepare them for metal plating, improve their flame resistance, provide antistatic properties, control permeation.
Dry surface modification includes, but is not limited to, a surface plasma ionized through RF or microwave, flame, UV, UV sensitized, ozone, UV/ozone, X-ray, LASER, electron beam, ion bombardment, and friction against other materials.
Wet surface modification encompasses chemical reactions such as oxidation, sulfonation, ozonation, phosphatization, chromate conversion, amination, grafting, selective etching, deposition of coupling layers (silanes), surfactant adsorption, photochemical compounds, solvent (surface swelling), prevention of diffusion of low molecular weight materials to the surface, and others.
Method of Use
One embodiment of a typical method of use in the present invention can be summarized in the following steps.
An example of an application and how these steps are used is provided in the following paragraphs. One preferred embodiment involves the bonding of a silicon integrated circuit, either to a substrate or to another integrated circuit (to make a multilayer stack). The penetrating power of X-rays will be such that the X-rays can pass through the uppermost layer of silicon and reach the bond layer, in which the downconverting particles will become stimulated and emit the desired wavelength of light (which may be UV or visible, depending on the particular photoinitiator being used).
Optional steps may include, without limitation: dispensing the adhesive in a pattern that will allow the adhesive to flow under a component through capillary action (e.g., “die underfill” processes); photo-patterning the adhesive; and applying pressure to the adhesive bond before and/or during the curing process.
Other applications will involve the following steps:
1. (optional) surface prep—the surface must be placed in a state in which the adhesive to be formed can bond to the surface. This prep can include a variety of different methods, including but not limited to, alcohol swabbing, plasma treatment, acid or base treatment, physical abrasion or roughening, a detailed overview of surface preparation was provided.
2. applying adhesive to the substrate—the adhesive can be applied using any desired method, depending on the viscosity of the pre-cured adhesive composition.
3. (optional) optically inspecting the applied adhesive for dispensing quality—this is to ensure that the adhesive has been applied properly, whether evenly coated, applied in drops or lines, etc. This step preferably requires that there be a visual contrast between the adhesive and the substrate to which it is applied. Such a contrast can be provided through the addition of one or more conventional coloring agents to the adhesive, or through the use of color-changing adhesives that change color upon curing.
4. placement of the substrate for cure—this ensures that the pieces to be adhered together are in proper alignment.
5. Curing using X-rays and performing final inspection
6. (optional) Providing real-time closed loop feedback in an automation line (via reel to reel or islands of automation) This permits defects to be detected much earlier in mass production, thus minimizing waste due to misalignment of pieces or incomplete cure
Conductive Fillers
Optional components may include various organic or inorganic materials and additives to perform desired functions, such as modifying the electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of the cured polymer. Many of these components are well known to those skilled in the art.
Conductive fillers may include finely divided particles of metals including gold, silver, nickel, copper, and alloys such as Au—Pd, Ag—Pd, etc. Other conductive phases that may be used with the invention include LaB6 as well as various conductive oxides and carbon. The conductive filler particles may alternatively be made from small polymer beads or spheres having a conductive coating thereon, such as a thin gold film. The polymer particles may be fairly rigid or they may have some degree of flexibility or compressibility in order to make the final bond more compliant. Plasticizers and flexiblizers can be added Isotropic conductivity may be achieved by using small particles (“small” meaning particles with an average diameter much less than the final bond or film thickness) loaded to a volume fraction that exceeds the percolation threshold so that the resulting polymer composite material exhibits substantial electrical conductivity in every direction. Conversely, the invention may also be used for anisotropic conductive materials, in which a film or sheet contains a monolayer of large individual spherical conductor particles (“large” meaning particles whose diameter is comparable to the final bond or film thickness) loaded to a volume fraction below the percolation threshold so that the resulting material is substantially conductive through the film thickness but is not conductive parallel to the plane of the film.
Other suitable filler materials include various dielectric materials such as metal titanates and zirconates, titanium oxide, etc., that may be added to tailor the dielectric properties of the film. Other inorganic additives may include boron nitride for applications where it is desired to have a bond that is electrically insulating yet thermally conductive.
Organic additives may include several classes of agents familiar in the art. These include, without limitation: plasticizers to modify the mechanical properties of the cured polymer; surfactants and dispersants to modify the rheology of the uncured material to make it easier to dispense as well as to allow any particulate fillers to be adequately dispersed; and solvents and comonomers.
Conductive Polymer Spheres:
One example of an anisotropic conductive polymer sphere is generally represented at 10 of
When compressed and deformed the polymer sphere 20′ becomes partially flattened, as generally illustrated at 10′ of
The first essential step of the inventive method is to place a polymerizable adhesive composition, including a photoinitiator and downconverting phosphor, in contact with two or more components to be bonded to form an assembly. As noted above, the viscosity of the adhesive may be varied over a significant range by the choice of monomer(s), the possible use of solvents, the loading of filler particles, etc., as is well understood by skilled artisans.
Many of the inventive compositions will be thixotropic, enabling them to be conveniently dispensed using standard processes familiar in the field of adhesives. In particular, for microelectronics assembly, the compositions may be applied to selected areas using automated needle-type applicators in conjunction with pick-and-place methods. Alternatively, they may be applied in various patterns using printing through screens or masks. Low-viscosity systems, which would typically contain solvents and a minimal amount of inorganic fillers, may be distributed in selected patterns by ink jet printing.
In order to form an aniostropically conductive bond, the inventive material may be formed into a sheet having conductive balls of the appropriate diameter, cut or diced to a desired size, and placed between the two components to be bonded. It will be understood that in some cases, this process may be repeated in order to make a multilayer stack of any desired number of components.
The second essential step of the inventive method is to irradiate the assembly with radiation at a first wavelength, capable of downconversion by the downconverter to a second wavelength capable of activating the photoinitiator, thus initiating the polymerization of the adhesive.
Applicants contemplate that in a most preferred embodiment, the radiation applied to the assembly after the bond material has been placed will be X-rays. Many industrial X-ray generators are available commercially from a number of suppliers, and the skilled artisan may easily select an appropriate X-ray source based upon routine engineering considerations.
Thermo-Set Adhesive:
With the surfaces held in compression, using an externally applied force, the thermo-set epoxy is rapidly cured in order to maintain the conductive polymer spheres in a state of compression after the external force is removed. A thermo-set epoxy may be rapidly cured by means of an appropriate heat source such as a cartridge heater, microwave or ultrasonic generator, IR heat lamp, laser beam, or various other means to apply heat to the surfaces being bonded. However, the heat must generally be fairly high (>250° C.) in order to achieve rapid curing of the epoxy and often requires that the heat be conducted through the surfaces used for achieving the applied force as well as the chip and/or substrate being bonded together. If the materials being electrically and mechanically bonded exhibit a significant difference in their characteristic coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), a high state of shear stress may exist between these surfaces after the epoxy is cured and the materials return to room temperature. This shear stress is undesirable, as it may lead to a premature failure of electrical continuity between the aligned contact pads. This problem is more pronounced when there is a large difference in relative size between the materials being bonded.
Several significant advantages may therefore be realized if the epoxy can be cured without the necessity for using high heat. For example, if the epoxy can be cured at room temperature the materials may be joined without any residual shear stress thereby improving reliability. And if the fixtures used for aligning the parts and applying a compressive force between surfaces remain at room temperature, the time required for assembly may be substantially reduced.
UV or Light-Cured Adhesive:
One possible solution for rapid adhesive curing at room temperature is the substitution of a ultraviolet (UV) curable or visible light curable adhesive for manufacturing the ACA adhesives described above. Some literature has been written on this subject, but a fundamental problem arises when attempting to expose the adhesive to sufficient (curing) UV or light energy through optically opaque surfaces that are commonly encountered in microelectronic assembly. Without adequate UV or visible light illumination the epoxy may not fully polymerize. Some manufacturers attempt to remedy this situation by combining properties within the epoxy that allow it to be partially cured with UV-energy followed by a final thermal cure. However, an ideal UV or light-curable epoxy for ACA applications would be realized if it can be fully cured without necessity of an external UV or visible light source or additional thermal-cure steps.
As noted above, various photoinitiator compounds and downconverting materials exist that can convert absorbed higher-energy (X-ray) photons to lower-energy photons (UV or visible light). If an adhesive epoxy is custom engineered to be sensitive (i.e. polymerize) when exposed to the spectral wavelength and energy level of one or more types of these “down-converting” lower-energy photon emitters, included as a “filler” within the epoxy, then the epoxy can be fully cured, even through optically opaque materials, by exposing it to an X-ray source. An added benefit is that the same X-ray energy may simultaneously be detected and converted into an image for quality control purposes.
An example of an X-ray activated, UV or visible light curable, anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) (35) is shown in
In the example illustrated in
Adding the down-converting photon emitters as separate “filler” may adversely effect the viscosity and thixotropic characteristics of the UV adhesive. Therefore, an alternative and better practice would be to substitute the polymer coating (36) of the ACA polymer spheres (10) with a coating (26) consisting of the down-converting photon emitter material(s), to form a new type of anisotropic conductive, UV emitting, polymer sphere (11) as illustrated in
Another example of an assembly using anisotropic conductive, UV emitting, polymer spheres (11 and 11′) is shown in
X-Ray Aligner and Bonder Description:
To commercially implement the UV adhesive bonding technology described above, it is deemed desirable to have equipment engineered to safely provide the correct X-ray exposure dosage in order to activate (in situ) the UV or visible light curable adhesive, and to simultaneously image and record the resulting cured bondline using the same X-ray energy. Some examples of suitable X-ray aligner and bonders are partially illustrated in
An X-ray wafer aligner and bonder (39) of
An alternative technique to achieve wafer-to-wafer alignment is illustrated in
Disposed on the top and/or bottom IC-wafers (40 and 41) are coatings of a UV-curable, ACA filled epoxy (35) and/or compatible matrix epoxy resin (34). In some applications it may be desirable to apply epoxy coatings on both top and bottom IC-wafers with differing compositions and viscosities to enhance the bonding process. For instance, the bottom epoxy coating may include ACA conductive spheres (10 or 11) within a high-viscosity resin matrix, whereas the top IC-wafer may be coated with a compatible resin that has a lower viscosity and does not contain any ACA conductive spheres. The differing compositions and viscosities of the coatings allow for a reduction in the amount of ACA spheres required to achieve reliable interconnect between stacked chips or wafers, enables better retention of individual ACA spheres where required on the bumped pads during application of the compressive force during bonding, and helps to reduce formation of voids within the cured epoxy.
As described earlier, once the top and bottom wafers are optically aligned with respect to one another, the surfaces are brought together and compressed under an applied force to enable the ACA polymer spheres to deform and establish electrical continuity between juxtaposed pads of the individuals IC devices on the wafers; thereby establishing a 3-D interconnect between surfaces. Since the pads that are to be joined may not have identical coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) values, the polymer spheres provide a compliant interface that helps to absorb expansion mismatch during thermal cycling, thereby maintaining proper electrical continuity.
The resin and the photo-initiator materials were obtained from BASF. The materials were weighted in the proper ratios using a balance having +/0.1 grams measurement accuracy.
The materials were mixed in a laboratory environment with DCA (a class 10,000 clean room). All materials handling was done in a fume-hood. The laboratory had a fluorescent light source to light the room while the fume hood had a controlled light (no UV component to it).
The substrates used to demonstrate bonding included glass, polycarbonates, poly ethylene terephthalate, poly-imides, cellulose (or paper), cross-ply carbon-prepreg composites, PEC, ABS, Mylar, intrinsic silicon, doped silicon, silicon based integrated circuits.
In some cases, the materials were mixed in the proper ratios then they were transferred to syringes and subsequently centrifuged to remove air-bubbles. In other cases, the materials were placed in syringes but not centrifuged. Yet in another case the materials were enclosed inside of the mixing cups. Depending on the specific density of the materials, a high level or a low level of sedimentation was observed.
The materials preparation further included the addition of dispersants in an attempt to control sedimentation. In these cases the surface of the phosphors was modified to enable the attachment of dispersants. The materials were then mixed inside resin materials and photo-initiators under heat. The materials were hand mixed using a stainless steel spatula that did not react or contaminate the raw materials. No materials contaminations were at play for the most part. The temperature used for mixing varied from room temperature to 80° C. The mixing was better when conducted at elevated temperatures.
Raw Materials Sources
The sequence of mixing was investigated. Various mixing sequences may work. However, a preferred embodiment of preparation is obtained by heating the resin materials to 80° C. followed by adding the photo-initiators and mixing. The mixing and heating of the resin and photo-initiators is continued until a clear (air bubble free) solution is obtained. Mixing is done gently to avoid shearing the resins and the photo-initiators. Heating was found to have a significant impact in this step. The phosphors are added third followed by mixing. In this case the mixing is continued until the phosphors are well dispersed inside the solution before adding a filler material. Phosphor materials having particle size distributions in the micron scale are best. The filler materials are added last. In the best mode the filler material is Y2O3:Gd nano-particles and a fractional amount of Aerosil (or active silica). Filler materials in the nanoscale particle size worked best. It is of interest to note that in this case the Y2O3:Gd consists of 5 to 60 nm particles and that the Aerosil material has fibrous like morphology. It is also of interest to note that the Y2O3:Gd particles can agglomerate and could form micron level aggregates. The resolution as what these aggregates could help is not clear.
The original intent was to determine the proper UV response and the adhesion between substrates at room temperature and with no other UV light source except from the conversion of X-ray into UV. However, the mixing of raw materials was performed with the fluorescent room light on. It was discovered that the elapsed time under room fluorescent light influenced the outcome of the cure extent. In essence, the UV light from the room assisted in photo-initiating the chemical reaction. The longer the elapsed time for mixing under uncontrolled light, the more cure extent was achieved under X-ray energy. A controlled photo-catalysis initiation was performed to take advantage of this discovery. This was called flashing the material with a UV light prior to curing under X-ray.
The initiation of the photo-catalytic reactions in adhesive materials was achieved through UV-flashing by the following sequence in the preparation. The raw materials were prepared under controlled light only. The photo-catalysis initiation was performed using a set time exposure to UV light soon after the dispensing/application of the adhesive or during the dispensing/application of the adhesive prior to the placement of the top substrate. The sandwiched part was then placed under X-ray energy and cured farther. The materials that were subjected to flashing cured faster than those that were not subjected to flashing. Based on cure hardness the flashing of select chemistries was done in less than (7.5 min) while the same select chemistries took longer (12.5 minutes) when no flashing was applied.
The flashing is further exemplified in the following
A UV source 73 was used to apply energy from within UVA range centered around 365 nm see
Combining a UV light with the dispensing step is possible (
The UV flashing is an effective method that allows the reaction to be boosted from a cost effective source. Subsequently to the flashing and almost immediately, the substrates to be joined need to be placed against one another. The adhesive bead is then placed inside an X-ray system. The X-ray energy can effectively complete the reaction of an adhesive bead that is inside a no line of sight region of an assembly.
The ability to dispense and flash the adhesive can be done with a high degree of repeatability using an automatic dispenser having a mechanical drive consisting of a servo motor or a cable drive. In this case the robotic system is equipped with mechanical coupling mechanisms (or articulations) 78 and a mechanical arm 77 to enable the placement of the adhesive dispense needle in a precise manner over a large area. The mechanical system further comprises a drive system 76 based on a servo motor or simply a cable drive.
The system can further comprise a platen 79 that is equipped with vacuum ports 79′ and a source of heat 79″ such as a thermode (refer to
In most applications the adhesion is promoted by having elevating the temperature. To avoid running into the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between two substrates, the upper most temperature to which the substrate can be heated should be below its glass transition temperature (Tg). Below Tg the substrate expands at one coefficient of thermal expansion and above its Tg the substrate's at a higher coefficient of thermal expansion. As long as the temperature remains below Tg the adhesion could be promoted.
The UV flashing is accompanied by the curing of the outer layer (or the formation of a skin). This outer layer or skin reaches higher cure extent than the inside portion of the bead. Upon the formation of this skin, the bead becomes unpractical because of the hardened outer layer becomes an impediment to the controlled placement of the top substrate. The formation of an adhesive bond line through the juxtaposition of 2 substrates becomes hard to do.
In other examples, the steps described above were repeated without any UV flashing. So that the adhesive bead was prepared under controlled light inside the fume-hood and kept shielded from light exposure until we exposed to the adhesive bead to X-ray energy. In this case the adhesive curing was conducted for 12.5 minutes to reach adequate mechanical bonding.
The flashing can be beneficial for other applications described in the following example and illustrated in
In one case the substrate was cross-ply carbon composite 80 in
The X-ray curing system can have an additional source of radiation, namely UV. The UV radiation from the UV source 73 can be used in conjunction with the X-ray radiation from X-ray source 82. This enables the cure of adhesive beads that have a portion that is exposed to the outside world and a portion that has no line of sight. An example is described in
The fillet 60″ plays in an important role in flip chip applications where stresses are maximal at the corner of the IC chips. The curing of the fillet 60″ can be done using an adequate recipe to minimize stresses. This would imply that the curing using UV radiation can be done simultaneously, before or after the X_Ray radiation whichever minimizes the inherent stresses.
In some cases dispensing 2 adhesive beads can be desirable. A dispenser 70 contains adhesive 60 while dispenser 70″ contains adhesive 61. The 2 beads are dispensed sequentially. A novel adhesive applicator is conceived. The novel dispenser 64 has 2 chambers and 2 coaxial needles as illustrated in
The adhesives were applied to the substrates using various methods from simple to more complex. In the simplest form the adhesive formulations were scooped from the mixing cup using a spatula and deposited on the top surface of one substrate. In other cases the adhesives were placed in syringes and hand pressed through a needle with an 18 to 22 gauge. In other cases the materials were dispensed through the needle of EDF air piston pump (also using 18 to 22 gauge needles). In some cases the substrates had a spacer element sandwiched between the substrates to keep the materials from being squeezed out from between the substrates. The adhesive cure was demonstrated for adhesive bead thicknesses from 60 microns to 1000 microns.
In some cases this was achieved using a polyimide film, while in other cases the spacer elements were glass beads. The curing of the adhesive thickness of the adhesive beads was successfully demonstrated at 60 microns to 250 microns. These thicknesses represent adhesive beads that would be compatible with applications such as B-staged films and chip on board applications. In other cases the adhesive bead was between 500 microns to 1000 microns. These thicknesses represent adhesive beads that would be compatible with applications such as hermetic sealing applications.
The control over the rheology and thickness of the adhesive beads was achieved using filler elements such as AEROSIL and nanoparticles of doped Y2O3. Gadolinium was found to be the preferred doping elements in these cases. In order to achieve thicknesses of 500 microns and above the adhesive formulations had between 0.5% and 5% of filler.
In some cases, the adhesive bead was applied between 2 polycarbonate substrates and kept in this configuration for 24 hours. No-flow or displacement was observable. The adhesive bead was therefore made to provide the end-user with enough work and pot life after dispense and to tolerate interruptions of the work in process during manufacturing. This is significant because no scarping of the work in process after dispense is required.
It was found that recipe number 2, 3 and 4 cured faster than other formulations. However adhesion was compromised when excess photo-initiator was used. For this reason recipe 4 worked best. It cured faster that recipe 2 and had better adhesion than recipe 3.
It was discovered that the uniformity of dispersion can be important to the process. The more uniform the dispersion the better results in terms of adhesion. When clusters of phosphor rich and or phosphor poor areas were noticeable, the cure was localized and the overall adhesion over a surface area was not good. When the photo-initiator is saturating the mix (excessive amount of photoinitiator), the adhesion at surfaces is compromised as there is a migration of un-reacted photo-initiator at the surfaces.
Materials Information.
The first substrate is positioned in place. The location of the substrate and the mechanical registration is recorded. The adhesive is then applied to the first substrate. The adhesive may contain a contrast agent to resolute a bead pattern on top of the first substrate. In such case a first substrate that is black should not have an adhesive color that is black. A white or off-white colored bead would be more suitable. A whitening agent like TiO2 can be used as the contrasting agent. In this case the color of the substrate is irrelevant, since the inspection can be performed using X-ray radiation, the inspection of the bead can simply be done regardless of the visible color contrast.
The second substrate is then positioned in place on top of the adhesive bead and the first substrate. The assembly is transported under the X-ray system that would perform a combination of X-ray based steps namely inspection and cure or one step consisting of curing. The X-ray system comprises various elements that can be automated to satisfy manufacturing requirements.
The step of X-ray radiation is preferably done in an enclosure 83 that stops the radiation from leaking to the outside world. The enclosure 83 can be made of various materials that include heavy metals such as lead. A single assembly 72′ can be held static or can be moved during cure inside the enclosure. Such movement could include a rotation movement that can be achieved using a turn table. Such movement could also include a translational movement that can be achieved using an external conveyor belt 85 and an internal conveyor 85′. Both the internal and the external conveyor belts work in synch to shuttle parts in and out of the X-ray enclosure. The door 84 can open up and close down to shuttle assemblies 72′ in and out of the X-ray radiation chamber. When the door is open (or up position) the X-ray energy is off to adhere to safety measures. The X-ray enclosure can have automated doors with sensors linked to a controller 76′. The enclosure can have doors that open up and down to shuttle at least one assembly in and out of the X-ray enclosure for irradiation leading to curing. Furthermore, the assembly to be cured can be positioned inside a process fixture 86. The process fixture carries with it the assemblies 72′.
More than one assembly can be placed inside the X-ray machine. The configuration having multiple assemblies can vary to maximize the loading of parts inside the X-ray curing system. As illustrated in
An additional advantage of X-ray curing resides in its ability to cure various size adhesive beads residing within different products using the same curing parameters. As an alternative embodiment, the X-ray machine can have more than one source, permitting curing of different assemblies at the same time (see
X-ray systems with the capability of programming recipes including pulsing up to 30 times per sec can be done. A level of control over the kvp as well as amperage can be done to exert control over output power as well as photon energy which in turns means control over depth of penetration.
Additionally, curing time and efficiency can be adjusted as desired by adjustment of various parameters, including, but not limited to, temperature, radiation source intensity, distance of the radiation source from the adhesive composition to be cured, and photon flux generated by the radiation source.
X-ray delivery head is on one side of the assembly, either above the adhesive bead or below the adhesive bead which can be described (though not exact) that the adhesive bead is generally perpendicular to the direction of propagation. In some cases the adhesive bead is generally parallel to the X-ray radiation path. It is recognized however that the X-ray radiation is emitted in a flood beam have multiple directions around one predominant direction of propagation.
Metals and metallic coatings limit the penetration of X-ray radiation. For this reason, X-rays need to be oriented appropriately when curing integrated circuits having metallic traces and coatings. In these case scenarios the preferred orientation of the bead is parallel to the X-ray direction of propagation. As illustrated in
Wafer Bonding
After the wafer alignment is completed (using the method described in
Since X-ray curing is done at room temperature or done at below the glass transition of the polymers used for bonding, not much pressure is required after the placement of the wafers on top of one another. Similarly, when a die is placed on a wafer surface, not much pressure is required.
The die on wafer application could use the same wafer set up described in
Safe Designs of X-Ray Systems (See
Contact-Less Design for Clean Rooms (See
Containers that can be raised up and down to gate the assemblies 160 that enters the processing chamber. Part of the cavity 90′ can be raised to enable batching of assemblies 160.
Chamber 120 is fixed in place. The bottom of the cavity of chamber 122 can be raised up and down to enable positioning wafers 41 that enter the processing station. The movable bottom does not touch the upper processing chamber (no contact between 120 and 122.
Bonding Fasteners on Composites (See
A composite panel 80 is dispensed with adhesive 60. The metallic fastener 110 is placed on top of the substrate 80 using a pick and place system that is pneumatically driven (112). Both the pick and place 112 and the adhesive dispenser 111 are mounted on KUKA robot 113. The X-ray sources 82 are placed at a slight angle to couple to the bottom of the bolt 110.
More Specific Applications:
The following figures show various applications in semiconductors pertaining to packaging and encapsulation. These include: glob top, dam and fill, molding (PMC, insertion molding) and flip chip underfill.
Underfill Under a Flip Chip:
An IC 28 is soldered in place in such manner that bumps 32 enter into electrical contacts with electrical pads 132. A desirable adhesive 60-1 is applied by dispensing system 70 (see
The curing in this case can be done at room temperature and the X-ray is best coupled from the lateral side of the IC. In this case the direction of propagation is parallel to the plane of the adhesive bead.
Underfill for a High Density Circuit
A similar process can be applied if the substrate is a high density circuit (72″). Once the assembly is formed, the assembly can be placed on the mother board of a PC or a server using solder bumps (32′). This process is similar to the one used for mounting logic assemblies (e.g.; micro-processors and high density interconnect devices).
No Flow Underfill:
To avoid the combination of time delay that takes place during adhesive wicking and the soldering process to connect the IC (28) onto substrate (72′), an encapsulant (60-2) can be dispensed on top of a substrate (72′) above the area array of contact pads (132). See
Glob Top Application:
The glob top applications comprise dispensing an electronic polymer on top of an IC (28) that has been die attached onto a PCB (72′) and wire bonded to establish electrical contacts between the active area of IC (28) and the electrical pads (132) disposed on the PCB board (72′) See
Dam and Fill
In some applications it is advantageous to apply a dam (60-4) or the first adhesive bead and subsequently cure the first bead prior to dispensing an encapsulant (60-1) containing the appropriate phosphors and photo-initiators required for X-ray curing. The current technology allows co-curing of both 60-1 and 60-4 using X-ray radiation. See
Molding/Post Mold Curing
Another standardized way of applying the encapsulation is through injection molding. The resin is applied at the mold level. In this case the IC (28) is attached to the substrate (72″) and then inserted into a mold. The mold is then clamped at high pressure and a liquid resin at high temperature is injected at high pressures to fill the spaces between the wire bonds (132′) and the IC (28) See
Lid Sealing for MEMS and Microprocessors
Another application that pertains to semiconductors and MEMS is lid sealing See
Micro-BGA Fill Encapsulation
A micro-ball-grid-array can be encapsulated in much the same way that was described for the glob top encapsulation. The configuration of the assembly is different than a chip on board application but the encapsulation of the wire bonds 132′ remains the same. (see
Tab Bonding:
Tape automatic bonding (TAB) technique can be enhanced by the current application. TAB is used to electrically connect a flexible circuit 134 with a semiconductor IC (28) see
Microfluidics
The joining of plastic 140-a to plastic parts 140-b that has mirror image features can be used to build functional plastic containers that house fluids and that have usable fluidic channels that can channel fluids from one side of the container to the other. The 2 pieces of plastics having mate-able features are joined together using a film adhesive 60-7 to form piece 140c. (illustrating a cross sectional view). The film 60-7 has the proper resin and the proper phosphors and photo-initiators. The plastic housing formed is illustrated as part 140d (top view). See
The fluidic channels can be formed using multiple pieces of plastics. The cross section of a PET plastic is shown in 150. The PET has well joints as shown by groves 100. The fluidic channels 102′ are aligned with the fluidic channels 102 present on another plastic such as Liquid Crystal Polymer 150′ In turn the sub-assemblies hence formed can be used to form fluidic devices. An example of such sub-assemblies is provided. Each part of the subassembly can have conduits and interlocking features to allow apertures to be aligned. The adhesive bead 60-3 is dispensed and allowed to cure using X-ray. See
The subassemblies are collapsed controllably. The protruding features 101 enter into the well joint 100. These features enable the obtainment of a hermetic seal since a fluid (liquid of gas) has to travel through the split well that is formed when the protruding feature 101 is engaged inside the well joint 100. The travel distance increases and the hermetic seal is enhanced.
Yet another example includes when a flexible circuit 134 having contact pads 132. The flex 134 is TAB bonded to IC 150 using adhesive 60-3. The IC 150 has a resistive heating network that can increase the temperature around fluidic channels or apertures 102. The fluidic channels 102 are aligned with apertures or fluidic channels 102′ that exist on plastic parts 145-d. The IC 150 is bonded using adhesive 60. The fluidic channels 102′ connect with fluidic reservoirs 152. These reservoirs can contain Ink or insulin. See
The plastic joining does not have to use mirror image plastics nor does it have to use similar materials. In fact dissimilar materials can be used to form plastic housing for insulin pumps or inkjet containers.
Formation of Ink Jet Cartridges
Ink jet cartridges are typically made of a plastic housing made of a thermoplastic moldable resin, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene, or polysulfone for example, as the base material. Polysulfone describes a family of thermoplastic polymers that have toughness, mechanical stability and ink resistance.
Typically, a print head made of silicon, has numerous nozzles that are used as ink outlets. The nozzle array on the silicon and the ink reservoirs are connected through a manifold structure having fluidic channels. The fluidic channels are employed to direct the inks of different colors from the primary reservoirs to appropriate printhead nozzle arrays.
Multicolor cartridges have a plurality of ink reservoirs, often three ink reservoirs. In such three ink cartridges, each of the reservoirs contains a primary color. These reservoirs need to be isolated from one another. The separation between the compartments has to be hermetic to avoid ink mixing between the various compartments. A plastic piece is adhesively bonded to seal the separate reservoirs.
The joint of interest that seals or separates the various reservoirs must be made to withstand the prolonged contact with inks. Inks happen to be aggressive from a chemical stand point. Furthermore, the sealing joint needs to be able to overcome the mechanical stresses that may exist over the product's functional life and the pressure differential that needs to be regulated between atmospheric pressure and the internal pressure in the reservoir.
The ink reservoirs and the ink channels, the plastic structures and manifolds necessary to form the multicolor cartridge can be assembled from multiple injection molded plastic parts. The most economical way is to injection mold as one part all of these parts. However, the lid seal and the tri-chamber separation cannot be injection molded as a unitary body, since it is required to have accessibility to the reservoirs. Regardless, whether the cartridge is formed from three pieces, or more than three pieces, two process methods are typically used to bond plastics: Ultrasonic energy welding and thermally curable adhesives.
The problem with ultrasonic welding is that it does not work with dissimilar materials. The other method consists of using adhesive materials to bond the various parts together. The various plastics parts in this case can be of similar or dissimilar materials provided the adhesive is subjected to enough thermal energy.
The application of thermal energy necessary to cure the adhesives leads to thermal expansion of the plastic parts. The thermal expansion mismatch between different materials results in thermally induced stresses locked at the interface of the various materials.
The print head is connected to a flexible circuit using a TAB bonding method. The print head rests on an adhesive bead that bonds the print head to the manifold containing fluidic channels. The print head contains nozzles that can be fired by the electrical signal that feed a resistive network built on the silicon. The electrical signals that are selectively applied to specific nozzles results in the heating of the select nozzles and therefore leads to the controllable ejection or squirting of ink droplets. The ink droplets are directed to the print media like paper to form patterns leading to words, images and the like.
The present invention adhesive composition can be used in the formation of inkjet cartridges, such as those described above or in formation of inkjet cartridges according to the conventional art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,839; U.S. Pat. No. 7,547,098; or U.S. Pat. No. 7,815,300, for example, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Leaky Optical Fiber Element:
Fiber element 91 can be straight or can be flexible to adopt various shapes. The fiber element leaks UV energy around its core and along the direction of propagation of the UV light. When light is coupled from its ends the light propagate along the fiber and leaks UV lights to its environment. (see
The fiber element is inserted in a joint between 2 plastics. An adhesive is dispensed around the fiber and the assemblies are collapsed together. The curing can therefore be achieved by coupling UV to the external sides of the fiber element to distribute UV light to the inside of the assembly. (See
UV Ink for Digital Printing Presses
The CaWO4 phosphors and CaWO4:Pb emits in the visible and UVA under x-ray energy. Both these phosphors have a notoriously slow decay time. This phosphor keeps on emitting visible and UV light even after the initiating energy has stopped. The emission remains strong for 60 to 100 seconds after x-ray energy irradiation has stopped.
For this reason, the CaWO4 as well as the CaWO4:Pb can be applied for a delayed curing application such as UV inks. The UV ink offers the possibility of rapid cure under UV light. The inclusion of nano-particle size phosphors that have light modulating capability from x-ray and extreme UV to a desirable UVA and visible range are particularly preferred. The initiating radiation can flash (short burst exposure) the ink and the included phosphors with delay decay time can keep on emitting UV radiation that can cure the ink.
These special inks can be used in digital presses equipped with EUV or x-ray sources to flash activate the phosphors with slow decay times. The web-speed can therefore be accelerated from 400 feet per minute to over 900 feet per minute by virtue of the sustainable UV emissions that can keep on curing the inks from within the thickness of the ink itself.
This is especially useful when using glossy paper. The glossy paper offers limited porosity if any. For this reason, inks wetting the surface remain in wet form and do not dry quickly. Thermal energy can be imparted to the surface of the web to assist in removing the solvents used in the inks. The solvents have a slow drying rates and cannot be easily removed which slows down the web speed.
The combination of thermal energy and an initiation radiation can be used in the present invention.
A reel of glossy paper (200) feeds a portion of the digital printing press described in
Various other embodiments are possible.
Composites:
The present invention adhesives can also be used in the formation of composites, by the adhesion of two or more plies, which are the fundamental building blocks of layered composites. The composites can be built by layering the plies, with the plies adhered one to the other using the adhesive composition of the present invention. Any conventional ply can be prepared, such as −45+45 assemblies (See
The composite is preferably formed by preparation of a prepreg material formed of the plurality of plies, with each ply placed in the desired configuration with respect to the other plies, and having the curable adhesive composition of the present invention between respective layers of the plies. Once the prepreg is assembled, and the layers aligned as desired, the curable adhesive can be cured by application of the desired ionizing radiation, such as X-rays, thereby adhering the plies together to form the composite.
Front End Semiconductor Photo-Lithography
The adhesive composition of the present invention can alternatively be used in photolithography as a curable resin to accomplish either negative or positive photo-resist development. By the use of heavy metal masking elements, it is possible to get selective curing of the present invention composition to form desired patterns or semiconductor elements. If the element is desired to be electrically conductive, the adhesive composition can be doped with electroconductive fillers, as desired.
While many of the above described embodiments use downconverting particles that are dispersed throughout the curable adhesive composition, many other configurations are available for use with the present invention. For example, the downconverting particles can be adhered to a thin film (preferably to both sides of the thin film) which can be placed between two surfaces, each of which is coated with the curable adhesive monomer and photoinitiator formulation. Upon irradiation, the downconverting particles emit energy at the desired wavelength, activating the photoinitiator, and initiating curing of both layers of adhesive, thus bonding each of the surfaces to an opposite side of the thin film having the downconverting particles. One of ordinary skill, upon reviewing the present invention, would readily understand a wide variety of configurations that could be used to create novel adhered structures.
Having generally described this invention, a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.
The materials chemistries were prepared by first weighing the key chemical ingredients and mixing these chemical ingredients under heat. A functionalized Acrylate resin was obtained from BASF. The resin was made from a mixture of 4 commercially available products including Laromer LR 9023, Laromer PO 94F, Laromer TPGDA, Laromer LR 9004.
The photoinitiators were also obtained from BASF and consisted of IRGACURE 369 and IRGACURE 2529. The phosphors were obtained from Phosphor Technologies. The LaOBr:Tb3+ phosphor as well as the YTaO4 were used in the preparation of the curing formulations. The third phosphor was Y2O3 doped with Gadolinium (Y2O3:Gd). This third phosphor was synthesized in nano-particle size. It was used both as a phosphor and as a thickening agent.
The temperature that was used during all the mixing steps was 80° C. The sequence of adding the various chemicals was as follows: 1—resin, 2—photoinitiator, 3—phosphor and 4—thickening agent. In one case the thickening agent was the Y2O3:Gd. The mixtures stirred every 10 minutes for one hour to two hours. This ensured the obtainment of a homogenous mixture.
In one case MEKP was added to an adhesive formulation to assess the effectiveness of X-Ray curing on coupling energy to MEKP and enhancing the cure kinetics. It was found that recipe or formulation number 2, 3 and 4 cured faster than other formulations. However adhesion was compromised when excess photo-initiator was used. For this reason recipe 4 worked best. It cured faster that recipe 2 and had better adhesion than recipe 3.
It was discovered that the uniformity of dispersion was critical to the process. The more uniform the dispersion the better results in terms of adhesion. When clusters of phosphor rich and or phosphor poor areas were noticeable, the cure was localized and the overall adhesion over a surface area was not good. When the photo-initiator is saturating the mix (excessive amount of photoinitiator), the adhesion at surfaces is compromised as there was a migration of un-reacted photo-initiator at the surfaces.
Curing of the various formulations was done on PET, glass, polycarbonate, polyimide, polysulfone, a carbon prepreg, a FR4 PCB. The adhesive bead was sandwiched between two similar substrates and cured while in between the substrates. No temperature was increased while in the x-ray. The temperature was measured using a hand-held IR thermometer. The only time a noticeable temperature increase of up to 10° C. was observed is in the case of the formulation containing MEKP.
Additional formulations were cured. The elapsed time under X-Ray was 10 min, 12.5 min, 15 min, 17.5 min and 20 min. The formulations that were made using the LaOBr:Tb3+ phosphor cured between 10 min and 12.5 min. The formulations that were made using the phosphor YTaO4 cured between 12.5 min and 15 min. The formulations using the third phosphor was Y2O3 doped with Gadolinium (Y2O3:Gd) cured in 17.5 minutes. However when the LaOBr:Tb3+ mixed with Y2O3:Gd were added to the adhesive formulations, the cure was accomplished in 10 min.
Obviously, additional modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 61/331,990, filed May 6, 2010, and U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 61/443,019, filed Feb. 15, 2011, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The present application is also related to U.S. provisional patent application 61/161,328, filed Mar. 18, 2009; U.S. provisional patent application 61/259,940, filed Nov. 10, 2009; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/954,263, filed Aug. 6, 2007, and 61/030,437, filed Feb. 21, 2008; U.S. application Ser. No. 12/059,484, filed Mar. 31, 2008; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/935,655, filed Nov. 6, 2007; U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/042,561, filed Apr. 4, 2008; 61/035,559, filed Mar. 11, 2008; and 61/080,140, filed Jul. 11, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/401,478 filed Mar. 10, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/935,655, filed Nov. 6, 2007; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/059,484, filed Mar. 31, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/389,946, filed Feb. 20, 2009; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/417,779, filed Apr. 3, 2009, the entire contents of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20120089180 A1 | Apr 2012 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61443019 | Feb 2011 | US | |
| 61331990 | May 2010 | US |
