Parylene coatings for enhanced reliability of electronics

Alan Hardy, Electronics Market Manager SEMICON Taiwan2011 September 9, 2011

Agenda
Parylene
History Overview of Specialty Coating Systems What is it? Why coat with it? How is it applied? Properties and benefits Industries and applications

Adhesion Technologies Advanced Parylene Applications Conclusion Questions & Answers

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History of Parylene
Dr. WM Gorham at Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) in late 1940s Dr. Gorham announced the vapor deposition polymerization (VDP) process
Coating process that bears his name patented in 1967

Nova Tran Corp. purchased license agreement from UCC in 1971

Made Parylene VDP a commercial success

Union Carbide Corporation purchased Nova Tran Corp. in 1984 Renamed Specialty Coating Systems in 1991

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Specialty Coating Systems

SCS is the direct descendant of Union Carbide Corporation
Unbroken transfer of technology and I.P. Over 40 years of Parylene applications experience

SCS - the global leader in Parylene coating solutions

Parylene variants, coating center locations, process development, coating technologies, equipment design, regulatory support

SCS controls its own dimer source, quality and formulation

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SCS Around the World

11 Worldwide Centers
North America (5) Costa Rica United Kingdom Ireland Czech Republic Japan Singapore

All coating centers use global Manufacturing Standard Procedures (MSPs) and quality standards Multiple locations enable SCS to react to changes in requirements, volume ramp-up or natural disasters

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Why Conformal Coat?

Dielectric strength Electrically conductive Antistatic Thermal insulation Heat dissipating Radiation shielding Moisture, chemical, fluid barrier Anti-stiction, low friction Seal or reduce microporosity Abrasion resistance Stabilizes components and structures Biostability and biocompatibility
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Conformal Coating Material Considerations

Freedom from byproducts Application temperatures Cure forces Conformability - uniformity Control of thickness Crevice penetration Regulatory/Quality compliance Biostability/Biocompatibility Properties of the coating
Barrier capabilities Environmental stability Sterilizability and bio-acceptability

Minimization of mechanical loading

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What is Parylene?
A common generic name for a unique series of polymers based on p-Xylylene POLY(PARA-XYLYLENE) A truly conformal, thin, optically clear, inert coating applied in a vacuum chamber at room temperature A non-line-of-sight coating that follows molecular level deposition process A chemically pure coating that does not use any catalysts or leachable materials

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Why Parylene?
Completely conformal Ultra-thin and lightweight Free from pinholes and defects Moisture & chemical barrier High dielectric strength Chemical insolubility Dry film lubricity Particle immobilization Hydrophobicity Optically clear colorless Biocompatible and biostable Chemically pure, inert and free of catalytic, plasticizer and solvent residues No outgassing No leachable ingredients No cure forces/stresses Environmentally friendly No thermal stresses during room temperature deposition

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Parylene Variants

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Parylene Variants
Parylene N High dielectric strength 7,000 V@ 25 m Maximum continuous service temperature 60C Short term (24 hrs.) maximum service temperature 80C Coefficient of Friction 0.25 Certifications
IPC-CC-830, MIL-I-46058C and listed on the QPL USP Class VI and ISO-10993 biological evaluations

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Parylene Variants
Parylene C High dielectric strength 5,600 V@ 25m Maximum continuous service temperature 80C Short term (24 hrs.) maximum service temperature 100C Excellent chemical resistance Lowest permeability to moisture and gases Coefficient of Friction 0.29 Certifications
IPC-CC-830, MIL-I-46058C and listed on the QPL USP Class VI and ISO-10993 biological evaluations

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Parylene Variants
Parylene D High dielectric strength 5,500 V@ 25m Maximum continuous service temperature 100C Short term (24 hrs.) maximum service temperature 120C Lowest elongation Coefficient of Friction 0.31

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Parylene Variants
Parylene HT High dielectric strength 5,400 V@ 25m UV stable Lowest dielectric constant & dissipation factor Highest continuous service temperature 350C Short term (24 hrs.) maximum service temperature 450C Coefficient of Friction 0.13 Certifications
IPC-CC-830, MIL-I-46058C and listed on the QPL USP Class VI and ISO-10993 biological evaluations

Parylene HT is a registered trademark of Specialty Coating Systems, Inc. SEMICON Taiwan2011 September, 2011 14

Parylene Characteristics
Crevice Penetration

Parylene C 5 times the diameter Parylene N 40 times the diameter Parylene HT 50 times the diameter
Results may vary depending on a number of factors

Acrylics Spray or brush Silicones Spray or brush Urethanes Spray or brush

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Parylene Deposition Process

TECH BRIEFS WEBINAR DEC. 2010

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Parylene Deposition
Film grows one molecule at a time Coating thickness is controllable
- 500 angstroms to 75 microns

Coating thickness is based on dimer quantity and chamber load Nominal coating rate is 5 microns/hour

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Parylene Deposition
No cure forces
No thermal reactions No expansion or contraction

Very high degree of penetration/conformity

Under, inside, edges and sides

No liquid phase
No meniscus, no edge effects Nothing to leach or outgas

Parylene Coating

Liquid Coating

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Parylene Characteristics

SEMs courtesy of E.E. Hui, UC Berkeley.

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Parylene Properties

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Parylene Electrical Properties

Additional Data

Properties DieletricConstant 6GHz DissipationFactor 6GHz

ParyleneN 2.462.54 0.00020.0010

ParyleneC 3.063.10 0.00210.0028

ParyleneHT 2.102.15 0.00150.0020

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Improvement in Wire Lead & Bond Strength

Wire-bond strength vs. Parylene C coating thickness on a hybrid-to-chip lead
80 70
PullStrength(ingrams)

60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 ParyleneC

A bare 1 mil aluminum wire has a typical bond strength of 3 to 5.5 grams With a 1 mil coating of Parylene C over the wire, bond strength increases to between 60 and 70 grams

CoatingThickness (inmicrons)

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Parylene Barrier Properties

Water Vapor Transmission

Gas Permeability at 25C, (ccmm)/(m 2 dayatm) a Polymer

Parylene N Parylene C Parylene HT Epoxy (ER) Polyurethane (UR) Silicone (SR)

N2
3 0.4 4.8 1.6 31.5

O2
15.4 2.8 23.5 4 78.7

CO 2
84.3 3 95.4 3.1 1,181

H2
212.6 43.3 43.3 17,717

19,685 118,110

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Parylene Barrier Properties

Uncoated Coated

Circuit boards after 144-hour salt fog test, in accordance with ASTM B117- (03).

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Parylene Solvent Resistance

Chemical Tested 10% Nitric Acid, RT 10% Nitric Acid at 75 C 70% Nitric Acid, RT 70% Nitric Acid at 75 C 10% Sulfuric Acid, RT 10% Sulfuric Acid at 75 C 95-98% Sulfuric Acid, RT 95-98% Sulfuric Acid at 75 C
o o o o

Parylene N 0.1 0.2 0.2 Brittle 0.1 0.2 0.2 5.3

% Swelling Parylene C 0.1 0.1 0.2 1.8 0.3 4.1 0.4 5.1

Parylene HT
0.0 0.0 0.0 1.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.8

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Parylene Properties
Moisture Resistance
4

Microorganism Resistance
7 days 14 days
E ffectiveness Ratin g 3

21 days 28 days

0 Parylene N Parylene C Parylene HT Test Samples Filter Cotton Duck

Rating:

Tested in accordance with Mil-STD 202, Method 302, test condition B (Temp: 650C, RH: 90-96%)

0 = None 1= Traces of growth (less than 10%) 2= Light growth (10-30%) 3= Medium growth (30-60%) 4= Heavy growth (60% to complete coverage)

Test Method: ASTM G-21

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UV Stability
Parylene films were exposed to radiation from a bank of fluorescent lamps using the following test parameters:
- Device used: QUV - Type of test: Accelerated weathering - Test method: ASTM 154 - Irradiance: 0.77 Watts per square meter - Source: UVA 340 lamp
12

Visualcolor,chalk,crackrating [Scale:0 Verypoor,10 Excellent]

10
Parylene C

8
Parylene HT

0 0 100 250 500 1000 1250 1500 2000

UVexposuretime(hrs)
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Agenda
Parylene
History Overview of Specialty Coating Systems What is it? Why coat with it? How is it applied? Properties and benefits Industries and applications

Adhesion Technologies Advanced Parylene Applications Conclusion Questions & Answers

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Adhesion Considerations
Adhesion effects all types of applications
Aerospace Automotive Electronics Medical Military

Properties impacted by poor adhesion

Electrical insulation Chemical resistance Corrosion protection Environmental stress protection Moisture resistance

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Factors Affecting Adhesion

Physical and chemical nature of substrate Solder masks Cleanliness of substrate
Manufacturing and human residues Particle contamination

Particle was not removed before Parylene coating and is now captured

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Factors Affecting Adhesion

Mode of coating - solution, vapor, plasma Cure forces Stresses in the coating Nature of coating material and coating formulation Primer and adhesion promotion
Chemical Plasma Abrasion

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Adhesion Issues

Corrosion of a PCB Delamination, chipping Blister

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Adhesion Issues

Failed assembly with spots of poor adhesion

Good assembly with strong adhesion (no spots)

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Latest Developments in Adhesion Promotion Technologies

AdPro Plus
Chemical compound applied to a variety of metallic and plastic substrates (e.g., Stainless Steel, Cobalt-Chromium, Copper, Gold, Iridium, Nitinol, Platinum, Solder, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Aluminum, Nickel, Chromium, Brass, Polycarbonate, etc.) as a tie layer prior to the application of Parylene coating.

AdPro Poly
Chemical compound applied to a variety of polymeric substrates (e.g., Polyimide, Epoxy, Acrylic, EPDM, etc.) as a tie layer prior to the application of Parylene coating.
AdPro Plus and AdPro Poly are a registered trademarks of Specialty Coating Systems, Inc.

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Adhesion Promotion Technologies

SilaneA174 AdProPlus

ASTMD33592,Method B(0=Poor,5=Excellent)

5 4 3

4.8

4.8

4.8

4.7

4.8

4.7

4.8

4.8

2.2

2
1

1
0 0 TitaniumAlloy Grade5(Mil Finish),24hrs @50%RH TitaniumAlloy Grade5(Mil Finish),50hrs @50%RH TitaniumAlloy Grade5(Mil Finish),Autoclave 125C1hr

0
StainlessSteel (Mirrorlikefinish #8),24hrs @50%RH StainlessSteel (Mirrorlikefinish #8),48hrs @50%RH StainlessSteel (Mirrorlikefinish #8),Autoclave 125C1hr

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Adhesion Promotion Technologies

SilaneA174
ASTMD33592,Method B(0=Poor,5=Excellent)
4.9
5 4 3 2 1 0

AdProPlus

AdProPoly
4.9

3.2

1.9

24hrs@50%RH

Autoclave125C1hr

Polyimide (Kapton)Substrate

DuPont and Kapton are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

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Adhesion Promotion Technologies

AdPro Plus solves adhesion challenges for difficult metallic and plastic substrates AdPro Poly a new system that solves adhesion challenges for Polyimide substrates Both enhance the reliability of miniaturized and advanced components in all markets

Courtesy of DuPont.

DuPont and Kapton are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

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Industries and Applications

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Automotive Coating Applications

Mass air temperature and pressure sensors Emission sensors Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) Diesel fuel heaters O-rings, seals and engine gaskets Fuel cell and hybrid electronic systems Engine electronics MEMS sensors

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Renewable Energy Coating Applications

Wind power Solar/photovoltaic Energy harvesting Hydropower Geothermal

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Medical Device Coating Applications

Cardiac assist devices and components
ICDs, pacemakers, VADs

Drug delivery devices

Stents, inhalers (MDI, DPI, nasal)

Cochlear and intraocular implants Catheters Neurostimulators Gastric balloons and cuffs Endotracheal tubes Laboratory devices Printed circuit boards

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Military/Aerospace Coating Applications

Military/Commercial MEMS Sensors Circuit card assemblies Motor components Power supplies Backplanes Elastomeric parts Aerospace Spacecraft and satellite electronics Cameras and assemblies International Space Station remote arm components Space Shuttle and International Space Station lab equipment
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LED Coating Applications

Video displays Electronic billboards Marine lighting Transportation signage Outdoor illumination Vehicle lighting Commercial refrigeration Aviation lighting

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Electronics Coating Applications

Printed circuit boards MEMS wafers Probes / pins Rotors / stators Components
Metal Brackets

Cables Ferrite cores

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Advanced Parylene Applications

Chip integration onto flexible Parylene electrodes Parylene/Platinum retinal implant electrodes

Images courtesy of Dr. Y. C. Tai, Caltech.

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Parylene Etching
Etching Method
Plasma (200 mT, 400W) RIE (100 sccm, 200mT, 400W) DRIE (60 sccm, 23mT, 800W)

Parylene
0.19 m/min 0.56m/min 0.77m/min
ICP etch recipes for low temperature (5C) Parylene etching

Anisotropic profile of 55 Parylene

Anisotropic profile of 10 Parylene

Reference: A HIGH ASPECT RATIO, FLEXIBLE, TRANSPARENT AND LOW-COST PARYLENE-C SHADOW MASK TECHNOLOGY FOR MICROPATTERNING APPLICATIONS By: S. Selvarasah1, S. H. Chao, C.-L. Chen, D. Mao, J. Hopwood, S. Ryley, S. Sridhar, A. Khademhosseini, A. Busnaina, and M. R. Dokmeci, Shadow Mask Transducers 2007
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Conclusion
Parylene ultra-thin conformal coatings are being used more than ever to protect devices and components and enhance the reliability of todays and tomorrows innovative technologies.
Ultra-thin and conformal Complete encapsulation No liquid phase No cure forces Excellent moisture, chemical and electrical properties Low coefficient of friction Exceptional thermal stability Superior UV stability Biocompatible and biostable

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Thank you for attending

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Specialty Coating Systems

Contacts

Mr. Hoon Keat, SCS, Singapore Tel: 65. 6862. 8687; Email: hkeat@scscoating.com Mr. Alan Hardy, SCS, Indianapolis, USA Tel: 317. 244. 1200 x 261; Email: ahardy@scscoatings.com Visit Booth 3040 for more information on Parylene and Specialty Coating Systems

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