Semiconductor Epoxy Mold Compounds

Semiconductor grade epoxy molding compounds with high electrical stability

AVAILABLE DIRECTLY AT CAPLINQ.COM

Semiconductor Epoxy Mold Compounds Optoelectronic Epoxy Mold Compounds

▶ EMC for Laminated Integrated Circuits

▶ EMC for Passive Components

▶ EMC for Optocouplers

Semiconductor Epoxy Molding Compound
Product Name	Key Properties
Product Name	Color	Filler Content (%)	Specific Gravity	Glass Transition Temperature (Tg), °C	CTE Alpha 1 (ppm/°C)	CTE Alpha 2 (ppm/°C)	Gel Time (s)	Ionic Content Na⁺/Cl^- (ppm)	Spiral Flow (cm)	Thermal Conductivity (W/m·K)	Packages
EMC-1533	Black	80	1.90	170	15	60	20	8/10	68	-	TO
EMC-5013	Black	-	2.17	178	20	55	32	6/9	60	2.3	TO
EMC-6043	Black	85	1.97	140	11	42	34	7/9	140	-	SOT
EMC-7142	Black	89	2.00	122	8	34	30	15/15	90	-	SOP, QFP
EMC-7535	Black	75	1.96	176	13	37	24	15/15	86	-	TO
EMC-7535MF	Black	-	1.96	215	9	35	29	<15/<10	85	-	TO, SiC MOSFET, IGBT, Modules
EMC-7560	Black	85	1.95	205	10	52	30	10/10	82	0.9	SiC MOSFET
EMC-9070	Black	89	2.01	126	8	30	35	6.7/4.1	127	-	QFN, DFN
EMC-9012	Black	89	2.01	133	8	35	45	7/6	165	-	QFN, DFN, BGA
EMC-9012H	Black	87	1.99	158	10	40	40	4/7	165	-	QFN, DFN, BGA
EMC-9023	Black	85	1.96	162	13	47	60	6/7	190	2.3	FCBGA, SIP
EMC-9131	Black	89	2.01	130	8	30	30	3/13.5	55	0.8	SOT
EMC-G194	Black	74	1.82	175	16	62	22	8/6	74	0.7	SMX, TO, DIP
EMC-G135	Black	76.5	2.0	160	25	75	25	4/9	88	1.7	Rectifier Bridges
EMC-G208	Black	84	1.94	185	11	45	27	10/15	152	0.8	Micro SD cards and other thin, high-density packages
EMC-G274	Black	-	2.0	140	13	45	30	7/6	95	-	Photocouplers & Octocouplers
EMC-G375	Black	85	2.7	175	13	40	40	5/5	110	3.3	TO
EMC-G833	Black	87	1.97	112	11	36	57	6/7	165	-	QFN, DFN, QFP
EMC-G833R	Black	88	2.0	118	10	36	52	5/5	150	-	QFN, DFN, QFP
GR15F-MOD2C	Black	81.5	1.93	236	15	42	31	5/5	109	0.78	SiC MOSFET
GR 2220	Black	75	1.82	161	18.5	63.3	18	3.6/10.4	81.28	-	MnO2 Caps
GR 2310	Gold	72	1.82	175	20	73	12	9/13	72	0.64	MnO2 Caps
GR 2310V	Gold	72	1.85	180	18	70	28	9/19	114	0.7	MnO2 Caps
GR 2320	Black	71	1.8	170	20	75	14	4/10	76.2	0.7	MnO2 Caps
GR 2330	Orange	74	1.83	175	19	67	14	3/8	81	0.65	MnO2 Caps
GR 2710	Gold	81.7	1.93	161	13	51	15	5/8	105	-	AO Caps
GR 2710FF	Gold	84	1.96	160	11	47	13	6/7	116	0.8	AO Caps
GR 2720	Black	79	1.87	160	18	58	19	2/5	96.5	0.7	AO Caps
GR 2811	Gold	85	1.96	162	13	45	15	1/7	86.3	2.7	POSCAP
GR 2812	Gold	90	2	105	7	29	20	2.7/7.7	73	-	POSCAP
GR 2820	Black	83	1.9	183	12	45	20	6.6/7	66	-	POSCAP
GR2821	Black	85	1.96	116	13	45	31	1/7	101	2.7	POSCAP
GR 2822	Black	88	1.98	105	7	36	-	2.9/8	99	-	POSCAP
GR 30	Black	81	1.9	183	13	57	17	-	62	0.95	T0220/247
GR 300	Black	80	1.94	185	12	51	19	4.5/9.3	34	0.95	T0220/93/252
GR 30HT	Black	72	2.1	186	21	56	21	20/20	88	1.9	T0/93
GR 350HT	Black	79	2.13	182	20	62	28	15/8	61	1.6	T0/220F
GR 360A-ST	Black	77	1.84	168	15	59	23	-	98	-	Diodes, TO, DIP
GR 510	Black	88	1.99	113	8	27	36	5/10	111	-	QFP, SOT
GR 510-HP	Black	88	1.99	116	7.5	30.5	31	4/6.1	101.6	-	Resistors
GR 600-P1	Black	88	2	119	7.1	31	27	4.9/5.9	34	-	DPAK/D2PAK
GR 600 SL2	Black	87	2.03	165	7	42	27	-	83	-	TO252
GR 640HV	Black	74	1.83	160	16	60	26	5/10	75	0.85	SOT, SOD, SMX
GR 640HV-L1	Black	75	1.85	165	16	58	28	6/21	71	-	TO, SMX, SOT
GR 700	Black	87	1.97	118	8	35	27	4/9	132	0.9	SOP, DPAK, QFP, QFN, SOT
GR 700 C3D	Black	87	1.97	118	8	27	27	3/9	107	0.9	TO, SOIC, PQFN
GR 700 C4C	Black	89	2	120	7	36	30	3/7	114	0.9	SOP, DPAK, QFP
GR 700-P2	Black	-	-	115	7	29	24	>15	89	-	TO247, TO252
GR 710F	Black	88	1.98	115	9	37	31	9/4	93	0.86	T0, SOIC16, TSOP, SSOP
GR 750	Black	-	-	235	10	40	26	>15	106	-	SiC MOSFETs
GR 750 X1	Black	-	-	207	8	42	24	>15	92	-	SiC MOSFETs
GR 750 X2	Black	84	1.94	182	9	32	27	5/15	114	0.8	ZIP, TDA2002
GR 825-73B	Black	80	1.9	135	12	45	22	-	100	0.8	SOIC, SSOP
GR 900 Q1G2	Black	89	-	112	6	33	25	3/13	137	-	QFN, DFN
GR 900 Q1L4	Black	89	2.02	124	7	24	36	3/8	124	0.9	QFN, DFN
GR 900C Q1L4E	Black	86.5	1.98	120	11	37	38	3/8	132	-	QFN, DFN
GR 910-K	Black	89	2.01	152	9	32	49	-/10	172	-	BGA, LGA
GR 910-C4	Black	88	2	130	8	28	44	-	170	1	QFN, BGA, LGA
GR 920	Black	88.5	2	120	9	35	40	-	102	0.9	BGA, Sensors
GR 9810-1P	Black	85	1.95	170	11	50	32	-	150	0.9	Sensors
GR 9810-1PF	Black	86	1.95	170	11	40	40	-	170	0.9	POP, SCSP
KL G200S	Black	77	1.95	175	20	78	20	3/8	80	1.4	DO214
KL 1000-3A	Black	75	2	165	25	77	23	3/7	80	1.3	ZIP, SIL, DIP
MG 15F-0140	Black	-	1.81	195	21	70	17	3/5	50.8	0.66	Rectifiers
MG 15F-35A	Black	-	1.82	190	21	70	20	20/20	64	0.7	Rectifiers
MG 21F-02	Black	71	1.81	179	21	62	22	4/6	65	0.7	Diodes
MG 27F-0521LF	Gold	-	1.91	167	21	67	25	4/3	63	0.65	MLCC Caps
MG 33F-0520	Gold	-	1.87	170	20	70	14	-	64	-	Ta Caps
MG 33F-0659	Black	76	1.83	175	18	60	14	-	66	-	Ta Caps
MG 33F-0660	Gold	76	1.83	175	18	60	14	-	66	-	Ta Caps
MG 33F-0661	Gold	72	1.81	164	18	60	22	-	69	0.8	Ta Caps
MG 36F-25A	Black	-	1.82	170	19	65	30	-	76	-	Discrete, DIP
MG 40FS	Black	-	1.84	160	20	75	25	5/5	89	0.95	PDIP, SOIC
MG 40FS-AM	Black	-	1.84	160	20	75	25	5/5	71	0.95	PDIP, SOIC
MG 52F	Black	79	1.84	155	14	60	24	2/2	76	0.95	TSSOP, SOIC
MG 52F-99BNXP	Black	79	1.88	155	14	56	21	2/2	78	0.95	TSSOP
MG 57F-0660	Gold	-	1.82	168	21	70	14	20/20	-	-	MnO2 Ta Caps

Notes: Values are compiled from available datasheets and may be typical unless otherwise stated.


Product Name	Key Properties
Product Name	Color	Specific Gravity	Glass Transition Temperature (Tg), °C	CTE, Alpha 1 ppm/°C	CTE, Alpha 2 ppm/°C	Moisture absorption	Ionic Content Na+/K+/Cl- ppm	Spiral Flow	Thermal Conductivity (W/mK)	Dielectric Constant
MG15F-35A	Black	1.82	191	21	63	0.64%	4/1/7	28"	0.7	3.5
MG21F-02	Black	1.81	179	21	62	0.61%	4/1/6	26"	0.7	3.6
MG33F-0520	Gold	1.87	170	20	70	-	1.5/-/2	25"	-	4.3
MG33F-0661	Gold	1.81	164	18	60	0.42%	-	27"	0.8	4.1
MG57-0660	Gold	1.82	168	21	70	0.42%	-	30"	-	4.2
MG33F-0602	Black	1.80	162	22	65	-	2/-/7	43"	-	3.9

What exactly is an HTRB test?

A "High Temperature Reverse Bias" test is a common reliability test that exposes the power devices (and hence the EMC) to the "worst case scenario" under which it must perform and not fail. During the HTRB test, the power semiconductor devices are stressed at the maximum rated reverse breakdown voltage at a temperature close to their maximum rated junction temperature (Tj max) over a defined period of time. As such, a HTRB cannot be completely understood until the variables of voltage, temperature and time are defined.

What is the ionic content in epoxy mold compound that causes semiconductor device failure?

There are four main elements that should be minimized in epoxy molding compounds. There are Chlorine (Cl-), Sodium (Na+), Fluorine (F-) and Potassium (K+), where chlorine and sodium are the most important. All the ionic content shoudl be kept under 20ppm for each individual element and less than 5ppm is desired for Chlorine and Sodium.

What is Reverse Bias?

Basically, semiconductors allow current to flow in one direction: from the p-type (positive) to the n-type (negative). Reverse bias is applying direct current (DC) voltage to prevent current flow in a diode, transistor or similar. Wikipedia has a good desription in Reverse Bias

What is the relationship between Permittivity and Dielectric Constant?

The dielectric constant is unitless because it is actually the ratio of two permittivity values: the permittivity of the substance to the permittivity of the free space. Since the lowest possible permittivity is obtained in a vacuum, the permittivity of the substance is always higher and therefore the dielectric constant is always higher than 1.

What is Ionic Mobility?

Otherwise known as Electrical Mobility, it is the ability of charged electrons or protons to move through a substance (in this case epoxy mold compound) in response to an electric field that pulls them.

How can I decap ICs?

We could suggest the obvious mechanical methods but if you came here you probably want to preserve the integrity of the bond wires and the die. That's why, typically, customers use a Nitric or Sulfuric acid to etch away the epoxy. Though you should definitely take the necessary precautions with a hume hood, no inhalation, customers have used this successfully without damaging the wires. Here are almost 8 million words (30 fps, we did the math)

What is the maximum staging time of molded products between molding and PMC?

For EMC molded packages, one-shift maximum, often 8 hours from demold or ejection to the PMC heating start timestamp, is a typical production practice, applicable only under monitored humidity control and validated for the package/EMC.

Why immediate PMC is ideal?

Immediate PMC is ideal because WIP strips enter the oven in a tighter, more consistent condition, improving lot-to-lot consistency. Shorter waiting reduces moisture exposure and reduces cure drift before oven heating, which usually improves warpage consistency, reduces SAM delamination risk, and lowers reflow crack risk.

Does EMC formulation influence staging tolerance?

Yes, EMC formulation influences staging tolerance because EMC systems differ in cure kinetics and moisture resistance. Some EMCs continue curing faster during room-temperature holds, narrowing the staging window, while other EMCs slow moisture uptake at a given RH and time. Practical rule: staging limits should be verified per EMC and package family.

What to do when staging exceeds the limit?

When staging exceeds the limit or RH control is violated, a simple principle helps: contain, recover, verify. Containment means moving WIP strips within the defined response time into defined dry storage such as a dry cabinet at or below the site dry storage RH specification, sealed moisture barrier bag with desiccant, or an equivalent approved method. Recovery means running dry bake at 125°C for 2 to 4 hours followed by PMC at the earliest opportunity. The dry bake will remove the moisture absorbed in the package prior to PMC. Verification means applying the site excursion disposition, often focused on SAM delamination checks and warpage checks for affected lots.

Epoxy Molding Compounds

Epoxy Molding Compounds (EMC) by their nature have very good electrical insulation properties. Epoxy Mold Compounds are often called "functional epoxies" or "high solid epoxies" because they are heavily loaded with fillers. These fillers, (typically silica, though other fillers are used for other properties such as thermal conductivity) are loaded more than 50% by weight be default. Highly filled systems have weight % filler loadings higher than 70% with "very highly filled loadings" as high as 92% filled by weight.

These highly-filled systems provide epoxy molding compounds with very good dielectric strength and a very high breakdown voltage, which themselves are good electrical insulation properties. These two values however are poor indicators of what is meant by "Good electrical stability" for EMCs

Low permittivity means high electrical stability for epoxy mold compounds — **Figure 1**. Low Permittivity means high electrical stability

Graph of ionic conductivity at different frequencies to show electrical stability of epoxy mold compound — **Figure 2**. Ionic conductivity at different frequencies

What do we mean by good electrical stability?

Good electrical stability means that there is very little ionic movement within the epoxy mold compounds when semiconductor devices are under reverse bias at elevated temperatures. The High Temperature Reverse Bias (HTRB) reliability test is an excellent industry-developed and accepted test that tests the electrical stability of EMCs

Epoxy mold compound that are considered to have excellent electrically stability are thus those that:

Have low ionic conductivity
Have a low and stable permittivity at temperatures up to 200°C
Have a high dielectric strength
Have a stable dielectric constant over a frequency range from 1 kHz up to 1.8 GHz

What causes poor electrical stability in mold compounds?

There are two main causes of poor electrical stability in EMCs:

The ingredients used have high ionic content
The epoxy resin and hardner combination has high ionic conductivity

EMC subcomponents have high ionic content

Epoxy molding compounds are made up of many components including epoxy resins, curing agents, catalysts, fillers, pigments and additives. Each of these ingredients can contain ions in the form of chlorine (Cl-), Sodium (Na+), Fluorine (F-) and Potassium (K+). There are elements other than these that have ions, but these are the ions most frequently present and in the highest quantities - therefore are of the greatest interest. As you can see next to the elements listed, Chlorine and Fluorine both have negative (-) ions and Sodium and Potassium both have postitive (+) ions.

Of these four elements, the biggest culprits are Chlorine (Cl-) and Sodium (Na+). If the total ionic content is too high, or the ionic content of each of the Chlorine or Sodium is too high, then the risk of gate current leakage and device malfunction increases. In all semiconductor applications, it is prudent to have the total extractable ionic content to be less than 80ppm and the extractable content of each element to be below 20ppm. In high power semiconductor applications which operate at higher voltages and higher temperatures, it is better to have the total ionics to be below 20ppm, and of each element to be below 5ppm. As application temperature and power increase, the lower the ionic content the better.

Epoxy resin/hardner combination has high ionic conductivity

When exposed to the electric field caused by the DC voltage applied, these ions have a tendency to move. If they move too much, a gate current leakage occurs and gradually increases which ultimately leads to the device malfunction.

Different combinations of epoxy resin and hardener, will provide different ionic conductivities of the base epoxy. Specifically, as illustrated in Figure 1 below, a standard epoxy cresol novolac resin with a standard phenolic resin might have a low permittivity at lower temperatures, but quickly elevate at higher temperatures leading to gate current leakage failures for power semiconductor devices.

Formulating electrically stable Molding Compounds

Epoxy mold compound formulators can develop materials that will pass the HTRB test by developing EMCs that:

Have low ionic content, low ionic content and low ionic mobility
Use ion trappers
Have low permittivity
Use epoxy resin & hardener combinations that have the lowest ionic content and mobility

Selecting Semiconductor Mold Compounds

When looking for epoxy molding compounds that are very electrically stable, look for the following characteristics:

Look for epoxies with a low permittivity over a wide temperature range as in Figure 1.
Look for epoxies with a low ionic conductivity over a wide frequency range and at elevated temperatures as in Figure 2
Look for epoxies with a stable dielectric constant up to 1.8 GHz as in Figure 3.

Choosing between granular and powder molding compound

Compression molding performance is often limited by solids handling and melt timing, not only resin chemistry. Powder EMC can dust, bridge, and contaminate equipment if fines are not controlled, while oversize particles can delay melt and create surface or appearance anomalies. Granule-shape powder EMC exists to tighten particle size distribution for stable feeding and thickness control in compression molding.

Decision factor	Granule-shape powder EMC	Powder EMC
Feeding stability (bridging, rat-holing, dosing repeatability)	Typically stronger due to low fines and tighter PSD	Typically more sensitive to fines, moisture pickup, and dust loading
Cleanliness (dust, equipment contamination, maintenance load)	Typically lower dust by design	Higher dust risk if fines are not tightly limited
Thickness control and uniformity	Often easier to maintain due to engineered PSD	Achievable, but relies more on deposition method and powder control
Melt timing and appearance risk	Lower risk when oversize is tightly limited (top cut enforced)	Higher risk if a long oversize tail exists (delayed melt, appearance anomalies)
Intrinsic thermal stability (Tg retention, aging resistance)	No inherent advantage from form alone	No inherent disadvantage from form alone
True cost of ownership	May reduce hidden costs from contamination and yield drift	May reduce material cost per kg but can raise cleaning and yield-drift costs depending on controls

Powder versus granule-shape powder EMC is best treated as a solids-handling and melt-behavior decision, not a claim about inherent “better” material properties. Granule-shape powder is engineered to reduce the two main compression-molding pain points: fines-driven dust or blocking and oversize-driven delayed melt. Fine powder increases dust and can cause blocking, while large particles can delay melt and trigger abnormal appearance, which is why granule-shape powders with tighter particle size distributions are commonly used to stabilize compression molding operations.

Use powder EMC when your deposition method, environment, and housekeeping controls can keep dust, moisture pickup, and feeder variation tightly managed, especially in thin-mold applications where uniform melt timing matters. Use granule-shape powder EMC when you want the most robust day-to-day operation across long runs, particularly with dust-sensitive feed and distribution hardware. In either case, write specifications that clearly separate compound form PSD (fines and oversize limits for powder versus granules) from filler PSD (filler D50 and filler top cut), since filler size distribution optimization is a separate lever used to manage long-flow behavior and issues such as resin bleed.

EMC Adhesion on Different Substrates

In semiconductor packaging, delamination rarely starts because the base metal is “wrong”. It starts because the epoxy molding compound (EMC) is bonding to the real surface state: an oxide, a plating top layer, a passivation film, or residues from handling, flux, anti-tarnish, or mold release. That is why a single universal adhesion ranking (Cu vs Ni vs Al vs Ag vs Au) is not reliable unless you also define the finish stack, surface preparation, storage history, and the time between activation and molding.

“Good adhesion” is not just high initial pull strength. For molded packages, good adhesion means:

Strong interfacial integrity immediately after mold and post-cure
Low voiding and minimal interfacial defects (especially at corners and die edges)
Adhesion retention after moisture soak and reflow (MSL preconditioning)
Resistance to delamination growth during thermal cycling and humidity aging

Types of delamination in molded packages — **Figure 3**. Common delamination locations and patterns in molded packages

Practical takeaway: Treat adhesion as an interface engineering problem (surface state + interphase + stress), not a simple “metal name” problem.

Interface creation and validation flow

How EMC Adhesion Is Built and Verified

Adhesion is created during surface preparation, activation, and the short window between flow and gel. It is proven only after stress, especially moisture plus reflow, where weak interfaces turn into delamination.

Incoming finish state

→

Clean and dry

→

Activate (plasma or micro-etch)

→

Control time-to-mold

→

Mold fill and pressure

→

Gel and cure

→

Post-cure

→

CSAM baseline

→

MSL soak and reflow

→

CSAM delta

Practical adhesion order

The most reliable way to discuss “adhesion order” is to rank surface families (finish + surface state), not just elements. Use the table below as a screening guide, then validate on your exact finish stack and process window.

Surface family	Typical adhesion potential	Most common adhesion killers	Highest leverage fixes
Cu and Cu alloys (micro-etched, oxide-controlled)	High (when controlled)	Over-oxidation, organic contamination, inconsistent roughness	Controlled micro-etch/texture, plasma clean, tight time-to-mold
Ni and Ni-based finishes (including Ni stacks)	Medium to high (process dependent)	Noble top layer exposure, residues in plating stack, aging after activation	Plasma activation, define true top layer contact, shorten activation-to-mold time
Al and Al oxide surfaces	Medium to high (process dependent)	Contamination, moisture sensitivity at weak interphase	Plasma activation, bake and storage control, ionic cleanliness discipline
Organic passivation (polyimide, PBO, solder mask, ABF-like organics)	Medium to high (when activated)	Silicone contamination, under-cure or residual solvent, long delay after plasma	Plasma activation, time-to-mold limits, contamination audits (especially silicones)
Solder and solderable surfaces (including die attach-adjacent regions)	Variable	Oxides, flux residues, poor cleaning and drying, voiding at interface	Cleaning validation, dry-bake, optional plasma, control residues and moisture
Ag finishes (Ag spot, anti-tarnish present)	Often low unless controlled	Anti-tarnish films, tarnish state variability, handling contamination	Plasma cleaning, strict storage and handling control, finish strategy review
Au top surfaces (noble top layer)	Often low unless controlled	Low chemical affinity, rapid surface aging after activation	Plasma activation, minimize air exposure before molding, confirm true contact layer

One-line screening order: Cu > Ni > Al > Organic passivation > Die attach (PbSnAg) > Ag > Au

Disclaimer: This is a practical baseline only. Actual adhesion can invert depending on the real surface state (oxide condition, plating stack top layer, anti-tarnish or residues), surface preparation, time-to-mold after activation, and the specific EMC formulation and stress profile.

How to improve EMC adhesion and prevent delamination

Most adhesion escapes fall into three buckets. Fix them in this order:

Surface and contamination: remove organics and silicones, control anti-tarnish and flux residues, prevent mold release transfer, and define storage limits for finishes before molding.
Contact and cure during molding: ensure the compound fully wets and contacts the surface before gel, maintain pressure for intimate contact, and avoid voiding or knit-line driven interfacial defects.
Stress and environment: manage cure shrinkage and modulus-driven peel stress, enforce moisture control (pellets and substrates), and validate adhesion retention after moisture soak and reflow.

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