Volume 8, Number 2     March/April 2000

Next-Generation Polymers Developed for Electronics

A next-generation polymer, initially developed by NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for NASA’s high-speed research program, has been developed into a high-performance thermoplastic thin film. The polymer was initially licensed to Virginia Power, which sublicensed it to PAR Technologies, Inc., a Newport News, Virginia, company that is manufacturing the thin film for numerous applications in a variety of industries, including the electronics industry.

Polyimides are known for their excellent mechanical properties. The melt-flow characteristics of Langley’s soluble-imide make it the only polyimide that matches or exceeds the properties of conventional polyimides in film, resin and self-bonding categories. As a molded resin, it has the highest tensile strength and second highest modulus. It also has high fracture toughness and fracture energy values. No other polyimides demonstrate the wide-ranging ability to form coatings, be used as a matrix resin, provide high-strength mechanical parts, flexible electronic circuitry and high-strength adhesive and be used as an additive for improved durability.

The film is a wholly aromatic thermoplastic possessing a unique combination of chemical, mechanical and adhesive properties that make it ideal for use in a variety of applications in the aerospace and electronics industries. This thermoplastic copolyimide is extremely tough, but can be extruded, melt processed, injection molded, compression molded, machined into parts, solution processed, spun into fibers or used as a sprayable coating. It also has been used as a hot-metal adhesive to bond various metals, ceramics and polyimide films.

The film has both biological and chemical resistance, including resistance to lubricants, anti-freeze, hydraulic fluids, detergents and alkalis. This resistance, combined with ultra-low moisture pick-up and the ability to operate in hot and wet environments, makes the film a highly effective coating for cables and wiring. The resistance, in combination with dimensional stability, continuous high-temperature operation, ability to bond with metals and unmatched physical, mechanical and electrical properties, also makes the thin film the material of choice for a wide range of applications.

Extreme heat resistance and durability give the thin film many advantages over other polymer films. The film does not chip, crack or peel and remains flexible at cryogenic temperatures. The film provides tough coatings and substrates for multi-layer flex circuits. In-house NASA applications for the polymer include use in microcomposites, thermal management, high-temperature composites and electronic systems. The thin film is used in a variety of commercial applications as well. Other potential applications are tape automated bonding for semiconductor frames, moisture resistant buffers for semiconductors, laminating ceramic and carbon products, insulators for radio frequencies and heat, hot-metal adhesives, electronic flexible circuits and high dielectric coating for electronic circuits.

For more information, contact W. Joe East, president of PAR Technologies, Inc. 757/886-5512, eastj@partechinc.com Please mention you read about it in Innovation.