News: Microelectronics
23 September 2022
Toray and A*STAR’s IME co-developing high-heat-dissipating adhesive sheets for SiC power semiconductors
Toray Industries Inc and the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have begun joint research to develop practical applications for high-heat-dissipating adhesive sheets for silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors.
Due to their significant energy-efficiency and carbon neutrality benefits, applications of SiC power semiconductors include automobiles, smart grids, and data centers. In particular, for further energy conservation, SiC is being applied more extensively for automotive applications. Compared with conventional silicon, SiC has superior heat resistance, which leads to significantly improved performance by efficiently dissipating the heat generated.
Development efforts will combine Toray’s material and fabrication technologies with IME’s design, prototyping and evaluation technologies. This is expected to improve the simplicity and reliability of processes for applying high-heat-dissipating adhesive sheets and to enhance semiconductor quality, dependability and safety. Toray and IME aim to provide comprehensive solutions to SiC device manufacturers and to contribute to the uptake of high-efficiency SiC power semiconductors.
Toray will promote the joint research with support from the new Toray Singapore Research Center (TSRC, a department of Toray International Singapore Pte Ltd), which opened in June.
Toray offers electro-coating materials such as Semicofine non-photosensitive polyimide and Photoneece photosensitive polyimide which employ proprietary molecular design technology as well as FALDA adhesive film. Semiconductor, electronic component and display manufacturers rely heavily on these products because of their high reliability.
Since 2016, Toray has participated in several international consortia on IME’s advanced semiconductor packaging, deepening collaboration and achieving results through joint research.
Toray and IME previously collaborated to develop a robust SiC power semiconductor module that incorporates high-heat-dissipation adhesive sheets from the FALDA lineup. General heat-dissipating adhesive materials using grease and solder have a large contact thermal resistance with the cooler, resulting in failure due to inadequate cooling of the semiconductors. Toray and IME resolved these problems by applying Toray’s material to create the first prototype of a new SiC power semiconductor module using a heat-dissipating adhesive sheet with a very low contact thermal resistance (lower than conventional products). Durability tests at high temperatures (to estimate the reliability and service lives of power semiconductors connections subject to heat fatigue) confirmed that the module lasted for a significantly large number of power cycles.
In the joint research, Toray and IME will continue to prototype and evaluate devices to improve the simplicity and reliability of processes to employ high-heat-dissipating adhesive sheets in the drive for commercialization.
“We have long respected IME’s prowess in SiC power semiconductor design and evaluation technology,” comments Yuichiro Iguchi, corporate VP of Toray’s Research Division. “We’re delighted to collaborate with Singapore’s government agencies on such public-private R&D projects. We look forward to accelerating efforts to overcome the challenges of applying advanced heat dissipation technology to enhance energy efficiency and help drive to sustainable economic growth,” he adds.
“Our mutual capabilities come together in a complementary fashion to enable the co-development of novel heat-dissipating solutions,” says IME’s executive director Terence Gan. “Toray’s R&D presence in Singapore will also help build a stronger R&D ecosystem in this part of the world.”
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