Development of environmentally friendly epoxy-resin compounds without toxic flame retardants and their application to electronic parts

We developed self-extinguishing epoxy-resin compounds that contain no environmentally hazardous flame-retardants such as halogen or phosphorous derivatives, and used these compounds to develop an integrated circuit (IC) molding compound and an insulating material for printed wiring boards (PWBs). The new epoxy-resin compounds consist mainly of phenol-aralkyl-type epoxy resins and hardeners; stable foam layers retard heat transfer and thus have self extinguishing properties. Especially beneficial is the fact that the IC molding compound based on the new compounds, can withstand higher temperatures required for lead-free soldering. The PWB also contains a limited amount of safe metal hydroxide.