Microporous crosslinked elastomers

Abstract

Elastomeric connectors have been developed for a wide variety of interconnection and test applications which include module-to-board, board-to-board interconnections, high density module, board and LCD testings, as well as chip/wafer testing and burn-in to produce known-good-die. The density, compliance, thickness, pattern and size of these structures can be tailored to meet the requirements of each application. The fabrication processes involve wire bonding and polymer encapsulation. To achieve high compliance with low contact force, alternative means of generating highly compliant elastomers has been developed. This approach involves the incorporation of voids, where the reduction in the compressive force is simply achieved by replacing a portion of the polymer with air. Two approaches of generating porous elastomers are described along with the details of the porosity and mechanical properties.