Preparation of a Crosslinked Poly(imide-siloxane) for Application to Transistor Insulation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) are critical power devices in semiconductor applications.
• Current IGBT modules utilize silicone gel as an insulating layer, which faces limitations with increasing power density and operating temperatures.
• The electronic industry trend towards higher power density necessitates advanced insulating materials with superior thermal stability and insulation performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel insulating material for IGBT modules.
• To enhance thermal stability and reduce thermal conductivity compared to existing materials.
• To evaluate the suitability of the new material for demanding electronic applications.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of poly(imide-siloxane) (PIS).
• Crosslinking of PIS via a hydrosilylation reaction to form a semi-solid Crosslinked PIS.
• Comprehensive characterization of Crosslinked PIS properties, including thermal decomposition temperature, thermal conductivity, optical transparency, dielectric constant, and rheological properties.
• Comparative analysis against a commercial silicone gel.

Main Results:

• The synthesized Crosslinked PIS demonstrated high thermal stability.
• The material exhibited significantly low thermal conductivity.
• Crosslinked PIS also presented other desirable properties suitable for insulation applications.

Conclusions:

• Crosslinked PIS is a promising candidate for advanced IGBT-insulating materials.
• The material's enhanced thermal stability and low thermal conductivity meet the evolving demands of the electronic device industry.
• This new material could enable higher power density and more severe temperature applications for power electronic devices.