Dispensable cured resin

Abstract

The present invention discloses methods, materials and devices for facilitating electromagnetic/radiofrequency interference (EMI/RFI) shielding and thermal management in packaging circuits. More specifically, a method of packaging integrated circuits with improved thermal and EMI management, a process of treating a compound for use as a thermal interface and/or an EMI shield, and an EMI shielding and thermal management apparatus. More specifically, the present invention divulges methods and apparatuses for adjusting viscosity of a thermally and/or electrically conductive (or thermally conductive and/or electrically insulative), form-in-place, fully cured compound thereby rendering the compound dispensable. Further, a process of treating a compound for use as a thermal interface or/and an EMI shield is disclosed. The compound is an admixture of a particulate filler component and a pre-cured gel component. The process includes applying a shearing force on the compound, thereby rendering the compound dispensable.

Description

Claims

1. A process of treating a compound for use as a thermal interface and/or an EMI shield, the process comprising: applying a shearing force to the compound thereby reducing the viscosity of the compound to render the compound dispensable,wherein the compound is an admixture of a particulate filler component and a pre-cured gel component.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound comprises about 20-80% of the gel and the filler components by total weight.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the filler component has a mean average particle size of between about 0.01-10 inches (0.25-250 mm).

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound is utilized to fill a gap intermediate a first and a second surface.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound is dispensable for varying gap dimensions.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein the gap has a thickness between about 0.25 mm (or in the range of 0.010-0.120 inches).

7. The process of claim 4, wherein the gap is a thermal gap.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the thermal gap is filled with the compound having the filler component that is thermally-conductive.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the filler component has a thermal conductivity of at least about 20 W/m-K.

10. The process of claim 8, wherein the filler component is selected from the group consisting of oxide, nitride, carbide, diboride, graphite, and metal particles, and mixtures thereof.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has a thermal conductivity between 0.7 W/m-k.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has a viscosity of about 7.5 million cps.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has an operating temperature ranging from a minimum of approximately −50° C. to a maximum of roughly 150° C.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has a specific gravity of 2.25.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound exhibits a weight loss of approximately 0.2% in 24 hours at 150° C. upon performance of a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

16. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has a flow rate of approximately 10 cc/min.

17. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has approximately 6% extractable silicones.

18. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has a dielectric strength of approximately 1000 Vac/mil @ 10 mil.

19. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has a volume resistivity of approximately 1×1014 ohm-cm.

20. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound has a shelf life of 18 months at room temperature.

21. The process of claim 4, wherein the gap is an EMI shielding gap and the filler component is electrically-conductive.

22. The process of claim 1, wherein the compound exhibits an EMI shielding effectiveness of at least about 60 dB over a frequency range of between about 10 MHz and about 10 GHz.

23. The process of claim 1, wherein the polymer gel component comprises a silicone polymer.

24. A method of packaging integrated circuits with improved thermal and EMI management, comprising: reducing the viscosity of a compound by the application of a shearing force thereby rendering the compound dispensable;dispensing the compound onto the integrated circuits to provide a thermal and EMI management layer,wherein the compound is an admixture of a pre-cured gel component and a particulate filler component.

25. An improved method of packaging integrated circuits for thermal and EMI management, comprising: reducing the viscosity of a compound by the application of a shearing force thereby rendering the compound dispensable, wherein the compound is an admixture of a pre-cured gel component, and a particulate filler component.

26. An improved EMI shielding and thermal management material prepared by implementation of a process, comprising: reducing the viscosity of the compound by the application of a shearing force thereby rendering the compound dispensable, wherein the compound is an admixture of a pre-cured gel component, and a particulate filler component.

27. An improved thermally and/or electrically conductive sealant prepared by implementation of a process, comprising: reducing the viscosity of the compound by the application of a shearing force thereby rendering the compound dispensable, wherein the compound is an admixture of a pre-cured gel component, and a particulate filler component.

28. An EMI shielding and thermal management assembly comprising: a first surface having a first area;a second surface, opposite the first surface, having a second area; anda thermally and/or electrically conductive interface intermediate the first and second surface to provide a thermally and/or electrically conductive pathway therebetween, wherein the interface comprises a thermally and/or electrically conductive compound prepared by the implementation of a process comprising:reducing the viscosity of the compound by the application of a shearing force thereby rendering the compound dispensable, wherein the compound is an admixture of a pre-cured gel component, and a particulate filler component.

29. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the compound is fully cured thereby eliminating the need for curing cycles and mixing for automated dispensing.

30. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the polymer gel component comprises a silicone polymer.

31. The assembly of claim 30, wherein the polymer gel component is a silicone resin.

32. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the resin selected for the compound has a cross-linked structure to enable dispensability of the compound.

33. The assembly of claim 32, wherein the resin is a type of silicone material which is formed by branched, cage-like oligosiloxane structures.

34. The assembly of claim 28, wherein, during application, the compound is pumped and sheared.

35. The assembly of claim 34, wherein the pumping and shearing causes a shearing force to act on the compound thereby reducing its viscosity.

36. The assembly of claim 35, wherein the compound reacts to the shearing force by becoming thinner or less viscous thereby leading to reduction in viscosity.

37. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the compound has a visco-elastic property.

38. The assembly of claim 37, wherein the compound is capable of returning to its original viscosity upon removal of the shearing force by virtue of its visco-elastic property.

39. The assembly of claim 35, wherein the compound is optionally/preferably pumped from a dispenser at a supplied viscosity of 7.5 million cps thereby shearing the compound at 1.5 million cps.

40. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the compound comprises non-silicon materials.

41. The assembly of claim 40, wherein the non-silicon materials are selected from the group consisting of epoxy, acrylics and the like.

42. The assembly of claim 40, wherein the non-silicon materials do not have the visco-elastic property of the silicone gel.

43. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the process involves the reduction of the viscosity of the compound by the application of the shearing force thereby rendering the compound dispensable.

44. An EMI shielding and thermal management assembly comprising: a first surface having a first area;a second surface, in opposition to the first surface, having a second area; andan improved thermally and/or electrically conductive sealant interposed intermediate the first and second surfaces prepared by the implementation of a process, comprising:reducing the viscosity of the compound by the application of a shearing force thereby rendering the compound dispensable, wherein the compound is an admixture of a pre-cured gel component, and a particulate filler component.