TWI Frequently asked questions
by Jason Howlett
The environment of high temperature applications (see
'What are high temperature electronics?') is beyond the capabilities of current packaging technologies. Significant development work is required to establish -
- materials
- metallisations
- interconnection systems
- protection technologies
that are best suited to high temperature environments (see 'Where are high temperature electronics used?'). Devices and packages for these high temperature applications will need to be developed in conjunction with assembly technology. This assembly technology will be fundamentally different from current die attach (solders and adhesives), interconnect (wirebonds and ribbons), and sealing (encapsulation and hermetic sealing) systems.
There is a significant potential knowledge-resource on chemical- and heat-tolerant materials available to the sensors and electronics industry. This needs to be harnessed, together with an understanding of joining and assembly technology, if cost-effective products are to be produced.
