DuPont Announces New System Lead-Free Thick Film Compositions

Research Triangle Park, NC -- DuPont Microcircuit Materials (MCM) announced the U.S. launch of System LF, a series of thick film paste compositions for the production of lead-free hybrid circuitry. DuPont will present this new offering, along with its already broad portfolio of microcircuit materials, at the IMAPS 2005 - 38th International Symposium on Microelectronics, Sept. 27 - 29 in Philadelphia, Pa.

System LF addresses the increasing market demand for a lead-free thick film system offering for the production of cross over and multilayer ceramic assemblies. The LF series includes gold, silver, palladium/silver, and platinum/silver conductors, dielectrics, via-fills, and overglaze materials. Thick film compositions are applied onto ceramic substrates by screen-printing and subsequently fired to form functional electronic circuits used in sensors, modules, and actuators.

In addition to being lead-free, System LF compositions are also all cadmium free and allow electronics manufacturers to go beyond the EU RoHS directive banning the use of cadmium in electronic equipment manufactured after July 1, 2006. All components of System LF are compatible, to facilitate their introduction into the manufacturing process, and perform to the same high market standards achieved with traditional thick film compositions.

"System LF has been extremely well-received since its introduction in Europe in June, and we are pleased now to offer this more environmentally sustainable alternative to our U.S. customers as well," said Gary Horne, Americas business manager, DuPont Microcircuit Materials. "We are also continuing to put DuPont science to work through the significant progress we are making in the development of lead-free resistors which is currently underway. We expect the introduction of a full member resistor series will provide a complete solution for lead-free ceramic module production in the future."

SOURCE: DuPont Microcircuit Materials