Honeywell International Inc. (Honeywell) has developed a new lead-free packaging technology, Honeywell Pb-free Die Attach Solder that improves the thermal management of semiconductor chips. The new product effectively manages the heat produced by semiconductor chips in order to improve chip reliability. The lead-free Die Attach Solder will be used in chips that service a wide range of industries, from automotives to cell phones.
“Honeywell has been developing lead-free die attach solder alloys for many years to meet the industry’s ‘green’ requirements that emerged with the use of lead-free solder at the circuit board level,” said Scott Miller, metals product line manager for Honeywell Electronic Materials. “Our newest alloys will replace the high-lead alloys and provide better thermal management than other proposed lead-free thermal management alternatives such as polymer-based materials.”
As semiconductors become more powerful and smaller, more heat is being generated in a confined space when semiconductors are packaged for use in computers and other applications. This tremendous heat can damage the semiconductor or degrade its performance. Honeywell’s thermal management materials are designed to help the semiconductor packaging industry dissipate this heat by filling the gap between the semiconductor and the heat spreader.
Demand for lead-free solders is growing, driven in part by regulation. Honeywell’s new Pb-free Die Attach Solder is an advanced technology that is not only better for the environment, but is also cost effective. Lead-based solders are currently used for power/discrete die attach because they have a very good combination of melting temperature, wetting behavior, and mechanical properties. The new lead-free solder alloys are designed to meet these requirements, particularly resistance to melting during board level solder reflow.
The lead free material is based on Honeywell’s metallurgical expertise and long experience as a supplier of die-attach solders. Honeywell Pb-free Die Attach Solder is designed to be used mainly in wire form and compliments Honeywell’s large diameter aluminum wire products. It provides power device manufacturers with a lower cost, more effective and greener alternative.