Study of the Impact of Curing Condition on Flexural Strength of a Very Thin Semiconductor Package

Thinner semiconductor package is becoming popular especially in consumer electronics applications. As package becomes thinner, it is more vulnerable to package crack when subjected to external load. It is important to ensure that the package is strong enough to resist package cracking. This paper presents the study of package flexural strength under different epoxy mold compound curing condition. A 3-point bend test was done to characterize the breaking strength of the package that was subjected to post-mold curing. It was then compared to the strength of the package not subjected to post-mold curing (PMC). Results of the bend testing showed that the package flexural strength is much lower when the package is not subjected to post-mold curing. This study demonstrates that the measurement of flexural strength can be used to determine if the package has undergone post-mold curing or not. Performing the right post-mold curing of the thin molded package is required to ensure higher flexural strength.