Effect of Chain Flexibility of Epoxy Encapsulants on the Performance and Reliability of Light-Emitting Diodes

Cycloaliphatic epoxy resin (3–4-epoxycyclohexane) methyl 3–4-epoxycyclohexyl-carboxylate (ECC) was formulated with flexible hydrogenated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (HBADGE) to inspect the influence of chain flexibility on the performance and reliability of epoxy packaged Light-emitting Diode (LED). The properties of epoxy encapsulants were characterized by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), ultraviolet visible (UV–vis) spectrophotometer, thermomechanical analyzer (TMA), scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). With the incorporation of flexible HBADGE, favorable properties were obtained, such as decreased thermal expansion coefficient (CTE), lowered storage modulus at reflow temperature, and depressed equilibrium water uptake for the epoxy packaging materials. The light transmittance of encapsulants differed after thermal and UV aging. Compared with Neat ECC and Neat HBADGE, the HBADGE-modified encapsulants endowed LED devices with good performance and high reliability.