A wet phase inversion process of polyamic acid (PAA) allowed fabrication of a porous membrane of polyimide (PI) with the combination of a low dielectric constant (1.7) and reasonable mechanical properties (Tensile strain: 8.04%, toughness: 3.4 MJ/m³, tensile stress: 39.17 MPa, and young modulus: 1.13 GPa), with further thermal imidization process of PAA. PAA was simply synthesized from purified pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 4,4-oxydianiline (ODA) in two different reaction solvents such as γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), which produce M_w/PDI of 630,000/1.45 and 280,000/2.0, respectively. The porous PAA membrane was fabricated by the wet phase inversion process based on a solvent/non-solvent system via tailored composition between GBL and NMP. The porosity of PI, indicative of a low electric constant, decreased with increasing concentration of GBL, which was caused by sponge-like formation. However, due to interplay between the low electric constant (structural formation) and the mechanical properties, GBL was employed for further exploration, using toluene and acetone vs. DI-water as a coagulation media. Non-solvents influenced determination of the PAA membrane size and porosity. With this approach, insight into the interplay between dielectric properties and mechanical properties will inform a wide range of potential low-k material applications.

The interconnection mechanisms of a smart anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) during processing have been characterized. For an understanding of chemorheological mechanisms between the fluxing polymer and solder powder, a thermal analysis as well as solder wetting and coalescence experiments were conducted. The compatibility between the viscosity of the fluxing polymer and melting temperature of solder was characterized to optimize the processing cycle. A fluxing agent was also used to remove the oxide layer performed on the surface of the solder. Based on these chemorheological phenomena of the fluxing polymer and solder, an optimum polymer system and its processing cycle were designed for high performance and reliability in an electrical interconnection system. In the present research, a bonding mechanism of the smart ACA with a polymer spacer ball to control the gap between both substrates is newly proposed and investigated. The solder powder was used as a conductive material instead of polymer-based spherical conductive particles in a conventional anisotropic conductive film.

Mineral fillers (MFs) have been widely employed for polymer hybrid composites to enhance mechanical properties for the past few decades. In this study, we explored structural impacts of kaolin and talc on the mechanical, heat-resistant, rheological and flame retardant (FR) properties of the polycarbonate (PC) composites. The incorporation of these fillers into the polymer matrix enhanced mechanical properties like flexural and tensile modulus while elongation at break, impact strength and melt flow index (MFI) were reduced as a function of filler concentration. The heat deflection temperature (HDT) was slightly increased with increasing talc content. Infiltration of even 5 phr fillers dramatically enhanced the flame retardancy. Talc showed somewhat higher mechanics and FR characteristic, compared to kaolin. These PC/filler hybrid composites with enhanced mechanics and flame retardancy would be useful for a specific application by tailoring their ratios.

For the fine-pitch application of flip-chip bonding with semiconductor packaging, fluxing and hybrid underfills were developed. A micro-encapsulated catalyst was adopted to control the chemical reaction at room and processing temperatures. From the experiments with a differential scanning calorimetry and viscometer, the chemical reaction and viscosity changes were quantitatively characterized, and the optimum type and amount of micro-encapsulated catalyst were determined to obtain the best pot life from a commercial viewpoint. It is expected that fluxing and hybrid underfills will be applied to fine-pitch flip-chip bonding processes and be highly reliable.

Rubber compounding with two or more components has been extensively employed to improve various properties. In particular, natural rubber (NR)/ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber (EPDM) blends have found use in tire and automotive parts. Diverse fillers have been applied to NR/EPDM blends to enhance their mechanical properties. In this study, a new class of mineral filler, phlogopite, was incorporated into an NR/EPDM blend to examine the mechanical, curing, elastic, and morphological properties of the resulting material. The combination of aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPS) and stearic acid (SA) compatibilized the NR/EPDM/phlogopite composite, further improving various properties. The enhanced properties were compared with those of NR/EPDM/fillers composed of silica or carbon black (CB). Compared with the NR/EPDM/silica composite, the incompatibilized NR/EPDM/phlogopite composite without AEAPS exhibited poorer properties, but NR/EPDM/phlogopite compatibilized by AEAPS and SA showed improved properties. Most properties of the compatibilized NR/EPDM/phlogopite composite were similar to those of the NR/EPDM/CB composite, except for the lower abrasion resistance. The NR/EPDM/phlogopite/AEAPS rubber composite may potentially be used in various applications by replacing expensive fillers, such as CB.