Thermally Stimulated Discharge Effects in Polymer Encapsulants

Regions of polymer encapsulant formulations are frequently exposed to high temperatures and high electric field strengths when used in encapsulation of semiconductor devices. The technique of thermally stimulated discharge is used to study effects of these polarizing fields on various epoxy compounds. The dependence of the unique discharge curve shapes found for these systems on chemical composition is noted. New methods of analysis are presented. Desirable polarization properties for an epoxy encapsulant are defined, and an approach to the development of systems exhibiting these desirable properties is outlined.