TABLE OF CONTENTS Polymer adhesives have found their place in numerous electronics' applications. Major uses include commercial/consumer products; computers; and military, space, automotive, medical, and wireless communications. Some adhesives may be used across several applications while others have been formulated to meet application-specific requirements. For example, reworkability is not a consideration for high-production, low-cost consumer products such as cell phones or calculators, but is important for high-value, high-density printed-wiring boards (PWBs) used in military and space electronics. Further, thermal stability at high temperatures is required for near-engine electronics in automobiles, aircraft, and for deep-well sensors, but not for office computers. The major applications for polymer adhesives are to attach and electrically insulate or to electrically connect components, devices, connectors, cables, and heat sinks to printed-circuit boards or to thin- or thick-film hybrid microcircuits. In addition, over the last several decades, new uses for adhesives have emerged for optoelectronic (OE) assemblies, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and flat-panel displays.
This chapter is structured into two segments: general applications, such as die attachment, surface mounting, and underfills that apply to many products, and specific applications, such as automotive, military, space, optoelectronics, and flat-panel displays.
Some adhesive materials and processes are used across many applications. For example, adhesives used to attach bare die and substrates in hybrid or multichip modules may be used for a wide variety of ground-based military electronics, communications systems, and space systems. Adhesives are also widely used in surface-mounting components onto printed-wiring boards that serve numerous electrical functions for both...
