Ultraviolet radiation curable epoxy resin encapsulant for light emitting diodes

Abstract

Light-emitting diodes are currently encapsulated by thermally curable epoxy resins. Thermal curing systems require long curing cycles at high temperatures. Further, because of viscoelastic behavior of the resin, the resin tends to "creep" along the connecting wires (Weisenberg effect), which causes solderability problem. The cured resin should be removed manually, which is time consuming and labor intensive. These problems are solved by the ultraviolet radiation curable systems. UV curing is an ultra-fast reaction and takes place at room temperature. No creep behavior occurs due to the rapidity of the curing. The UV curing technique can result in higher productivity and en ergy saving than the thermal process. This article presents results on the development of UV curable formulations based on cycloaliphatic diepoxide, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, and epoxidized novolac induced by cationic photoinitiators. "Mixture experimental design" was employed to arrive at the optimum composition, which meets the stringent demands of performance characteristics and durability. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.