The Post Mold Cure Effect on the Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Ag and Cu Joints

This study investigated the mechanism for microstructural and mechanical behaviors of Ag sintered and Cu sintered joints when they went through the epoxy molding compound (EMC) curing process. The Ag sintering process was realized on the TO-247 lead frame using a nano Ag porous sheet at 145°C for 10 minutes, while the Cu sinter joint was formed using Cu paste at 250°C for 10 min. Subsequently, the EMC molding with a post molding cure (PMC) process was carried out at 175°C for 6 h. Consequently, the initial Ag sintered joints showed an approximately 82.61 % increase in bonding strength after EMC molding due to the additional heat and pressure invested into the Ag sintered joints, while the bonding strength of Cu sintered joints exhibited a 12.88 % increase compared to before the EMC-PMC processes.