The study of silicon passivation polymer adhesion to epoxy mold compound through button shear strength

When introducing new material, especially epoxy mold compound (EMC), there are always concerns on adhesion of the mold compound material to the interface of the silicon. Poor adhesion between the two interfaces will potentially cause reliability concerns such as delamination. In order to eliminate the reliability concerns, this study presents the effort to establish a quick and easy monitoring for JEDEC moisture sensitivity level (MSL) and multiple reflow tolerance between epoxy molding compound and silicon interface. For this study, silicon with passivation polymer surfaces is chosen as test vehicle. 2 different types of passivation and 3 different epoxy mold compounds were tested. We conducted MSL and multiple reflow tests with various test vehicles. Also button shear test was performed at various stages of moisture at elevated temperature. This is to simulate user environment in the fields. In this study we found different adhesion strength by mostly passivation type, also hint of relation between adhesion strength and real device reliability performance.