Effects of Glass Transition Temperature and Molecular Structure of Bio‐Epoxy on Epoxy Molding Compound Applications for Integrated Circuit Packaging

• Published in: Polymer engineering and science
• Main Authors: Lee, Eyann, Muhamed Mukhtar, Muhamed Abdul Fatah, Saad, Abdullah Aziz, Jaafar, Mariatti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 09.08.2025
• ISSN: 0032-3888; 1548-2634
• DOI: 10.1002/pen.70082

Research on eco‐friendly materials in electronic applications has gained significant interest in recent years. The present work is aimed at investigating how the structure and properties of bio‐epoxies affect the performance of epoxy molding compound (EMC) applications in integrated circuit (IC) packaging. Three bio‐epoxies with different molecular structures were characterized and compared with a commercial epoxy as a control. The results reveal that the thermal stability and CTE of the bio‐epoxies are strongly affected by their glass transition temperature ( T g ). Lower molecular chain flexibility requires more energy for chain movement and breakage, while epoxies cured with a symmetrical and linear curing agent show higher thermal conductivity. The linear structure provides a greater phonon mean path, improving heat transfer. Epoxies with greater polarity and chain flexibility show a lower dielectric constant. Furthermore, the presence of a reactive diluent, which acts as a plasticizer, was identified in BE130 and BE90. It not only reduces the T g of the cured epoxy but also improves its ductility. However, they did not contribute to the reactivity of the crosslinking reaction and the crosslinking density. These findings demonstrate that bio‐epoxies can replace commercial epoxies in the EMC matrix, offering an alternative pathway to enhance the environmental sustainability of electronic products.