Halogen‐free materials with improved thermal and electrical properties

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a latest update on halogen‐free base materials that are lead‐free compatible and have enhanced electrical properties. Design/methodology/approach Numerous halogen‐free flame retardants are screened in laboratory conditions for a wide arrange of properties. Once suitable candidates are found, they are compounded and processed into copper‐clad laminates and a wide variety of properties are tested. Findings Several formulations are found that are lead‐free compatible and that has enhanced electrical properties. Surprisingly, some thermal properties are found to be superior to traditionally halogenated laminates. Research limitations/implications The research here only presents the halogen‐free properties of a bare, unpopulated printed wiring board with no build up of inner layers and devoid of solder mask. Further work needs to be done on full circuit assemblies to properly evaluate the impact of removing halogens from interconnecting packages. Originality/value The paper details the material property differences between various halogen‐free materials as compared to halogenated materials. A method to model composite properties is also discussed.