The rapid progress in silicon carbide (SiC)-based technology for high-power applications expects an increasing operation temperature (up to 250 °C) and awaits reliable packaging materials to unleash their full power. Epoxy-based encapsulant materials failed to provide satisfactory protection under such high temperatures due to the intrinsic weakness of epoxy resins, despite their unmatched good adhesion and processability. Herein, we report a series of copolymers made by melt blending novolac cyanate ester and tetramethylbiphenyl epoxy (NCE/EP) that have demonstrated much superior high-temperature stability over current epoxies. Benefited from the aromatic, rigid backbone and the highly functional nature of the monomers, the highest values achieved for the copolymers are as follows: glass-transition temperature (Tg) above 300 °C, decomposition onset above 400 °C, and char yield above 45% at 800 °C, which are among the highest of the known epoxy chemistry by far. Moreover, the high-temperature aging (250 °C) experiments showed much reduced mass loss of these copolymers compared to the traditional high-temperature epoxy and even the pure NCE in the long term by suppressing hydrolysis degradation mechanisms. The copolymer composition, i.e., NCE to EP ratio, has found to have profound impacts on the resin flowability, thermomechanical properties, moisture absorption, and dielectric properties, which are discussed in this paper with in-depth analysis on their structure-property relationships. The outstanding high-temperature stability, preferred and adjustable processability, and the dielectric properties of the reported NCE/EP copolymers will greatly stimulate further research to formulating robust epoxy molding compounds (EMCs) or underfill for packaging next-generation high-power electronics.
Keywords: copolymer; cyanate ester; encapsulant; epoxy; power electronics; thermal stability.