Epoxy nanocomposite capacitors for application as MCM-L compatible integral passives

Polymer/ceramic composite emerges as a novel material system for application as integral capacitors for the next generation of microelectronic industry where the discrete passive components such as capacitors, resistors, and inductors are likely to be replaced by the embedded components. In this study, epoxy based nanocomposites are selected due to their low-cost and low temperature processing advantages in comparison to the traditional polymers used in the microelectronic industry today. Other potential advantages of epoxy materials could be their aqueous based fabrication process and availability in the form of dry films for direct lamination onto substrates. This paper reports dielectric properties of epoxy nanocomposites made from three commercially available resin composites (i) a solvent based photodefinable epoxy, (ii) an aqueous based photodefinable epoxy, and (iii) a non-photodefinable epoxy. Possible avenues for achieving higher capacitance density in polymer/ceramic composites for future needs have been discussed. Deposition of polymer/ceramic thin films on a 300 mm x 300 mm PWB and glass substrates has been demonstrated using a state-of-the-art meniscus coater. The end goal of this study is to develop a defect-free manufacturable process for depositing and patterning particulate epoxy composite capacitors on large area PWB substrates. It is believed that the large area process will reduce the overall manufacturing costs and increase process yield, thus facilitate the economic viability of the integral passive technology.