Dielectrics for ICs and Packaging: Materials Used Today and Future Prospects

Speaker: Prof. Paul A. Kohl,
Hercules, Inc. /Thomas L. Gossage Chair and Regents’ Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Thursday, April 14, 2016 | 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Marcus Conference Room 1117-111

Abstract: Dielectric materials (i.e. insulators) provide critical functions throughout the packaging hierarchy, including on-chip dielectrics, package substrates, and printed wiring boards. In this presentation, the role of dielectrics, their critical properties, and the type of materials at each level of packaging will be reviewed. Of particular interest is the need for improved dielectrics in packaging- the dielectric in chip substrates and printed wiring boards. The scaling of transistors to smaller dimensions requires that on-chip and off-chip dielectrics operate at higher frequency, lower-voltage and less energy loss. This needs to be achieved with improved packing density (smaller features) and at low-cost. The status of existing
materials and the challenges they face will be reviewed.

Bio Sketch: Paul Kohl received a Ph.D. from The University of Texas, in Chemistry in 1978. After graduation, Dr. Kohl was employed at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ from 1978 to 1989. During that time, he was involved in new chemical processes for silicon and compound semiconductor devices and their packaging. In 1989, he joined the faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, where he is currently a Regents’ Professor and holder of the Hercules Inc. /Thomas L. Gossage Chair. Dr. Kohl’s research interests include new materials and processes for advanced interconnects for integrated circuits, and electrochemical energy devices for energy conversion and storage. He has 250 journal publication, 63 US patents, and more than 400 conference presentations. Dr. Kohl is the past Editor of the Journal of The Electrochemical Society and Electrochemical and Solid-State Letter, past Director of the MARCO Interconnect Focus Center, and past President of the Electrochemical Society.