Advanced Materials for Semiconductor Packaging & Assembly
Semiconductor devices are operating at higher power densities, smaller geometries, and in more demanding environments than ever before. From electric vehicle power modules to AI data centre chips and 5G infrastructure, the materials used in semiconductor packaging and assembly directly determine device efficiency, thermal stability, and long-term reliability.
Dycotec Materials develops and manufactures a comprehensive range of printable and dispensable advanced materials that address these challenges — including die attach pastes, thermal interface materials, thick film conductor pastes, conductive adhesives, encapsulants, and EMC shielding inks.
View our latest brochure for Semiconductor Packaging and Assembly
What Semiconductor Challenges Do Dycotec Materials Solve?
1. Thermal management at higher power densities As chip power densities rise, heat dissipation becomes a critical failure mode. Dycotec's thermal interface materials, including non-silicone gels, phase change materials, and thermally conductive adhesives are engineered to maximise heat transfer between semiconductor devices and their heat sinks. Thermal Interface Materials
2. Reliable die attachment in high-power environments Traditional die attach materials struggle with thermal cycling fatigue in power modules used in EVs and industrial equipment. Dycotec's nanosilver-based die attach pastes deliver superior thermal and electrical conductivity, extending device lifetime in high-stress applications. Assembly Materials
3. Circuit construction on ceramic substrates Power modules, sensors, and high-frequency devices increasingly require fine circuitry printed directly onto ceramic. Dycotec's thick film pastes, including silver, gold, platinum, and palladium conductors, dielectrics, printed resistors, and overglaze, enable high-resolution circuit construction on alumina and other ceramic substrates. Thick Film Pastes
4. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) protection As device frequencies increase, EMC shielding of semiconductor packages becomes essential. Dycotec's nanosilver ink systems, deposited via screen, spray, or inkjet printing, provide high-density conductive films that deliver effective shielding once thermally processed. EM Shielding Applications
Dycotec's Semiconductor Material Technologies Explained
Die Attach Pastes
Dycotec's die attach pastes are built on proprietary nanosilver synthesis, delivering superior thermal and electrical conductivity for high-power semiconductor devices. They sinter at lower temperatures than conventional silver epoxies while achieving higher bond reliability, making them suitable for IGBTs, MOSFETs, power diodes, and automotive-grade modules requiring RoHS-compliant, lead-free packaging.
Conductive Adhesives, Underfills & Encapsulants
Dycotec's assembly material portfolio covers the full protection stack for semiconductor devices. Conductive adhesives create electrical connections where soldering is incompatible with the substrate; underfills reduce thermal-cycle stress between chip and board; encapsulants provide full or partial package protection against moisture, contamination, and mechanical damage.
These materials are qualified for use across automotive, industrial, and consumer electronics applications, where long service life under thermal and environmental stress is a design requirement.
Printed Sensors
Dycotec develops and manufactures advanced material systems for printed sensor applications, including gas sensing, pressure detection, and environmental monitoring. Working in collaboration with technology partners, our printable ink formulations enable sensor elements to be deposited directly onto flexible, rigid, and ceramic substrates, reducing component count and enabling form factors that conventional sensor manufacturing cannot achieve.
Our biosensor and carbon conductive ink ranges are formulated for electrochemical sensing applications, delivering the stable, repeatable electrical response that precision measurement demands, and are compatible with both screen and inkjet printing processes.
Thermal Interface Materials
Dycotec supplies three categories of TIM for semiconductor cooling: non-silicone gels and putties for reworkable, conformable applications; phase change materials that transition to low viscosity at operating temperature for intimate contact with CPU, GPU, and memory modules; and thermally conductive epoxy adhesives for permanent structural bonding of LEDs, IGBTs, diodes, and rectifiers.
Thick Film Pastes for Circuits on ceramics
Thick film pastes are screen-printed onto ceramic substrates and fired at high temperature to form conductive, resistive, or dielectric layers. Dycotec's range, spanning silver, gold, platinum, silver-platinum, and silver-palladium conductors, alongside resistors, dielectrics, overglaze, and polymer overcoats, enables the construction of hybrid circuits, power modules, and sensor elements on alumina and aluminium nitride ceramics.
EMC Shielding Inks
Dycotec's nanosilver ink systems form high-density conductive films after thermal processing, providing effective electromagnetic shielding for semiconductor packages. They can be applied via screen printing for flat, high-volume surfaces or inkjet printing for precision patterning.
The resulting shielding layers meet attenuation requirements across consumer electronics, telecommunications, and automotive applications.
Polyimide & Dielectric Inks
Dycotec's polyimide and epoxy dielectric inks create electrically insulating layers on aluminium heat sinks, forming insulated metal substrates (IMS) that allow conductive circuitry to be printed directly onto thermally efficient metal bases. This eliminates the need for a separate PCB layer, reducing overall assembly thermal resistance.
These systems offer high dielectric breakdown voltage, thermal stability through multiple processing cycles, and compatibility with subsequent thick film and printed electronics processes.
Next-Generation Semiconductor R&D at Dycotec
Dycotec Materials is actively investing in three areas of semiconductor materials research that address the industry's most pressing future challenges:
Copper-Based Die Attach Interconnects, reducing Dependence on Silver
Silver is the dominant metal in current die attach and interconnect materials, but its cost and supply chain constraints are driving demand for alternatives. Dycotec is developing copper-based interconnect solutions that deliver high electrical and thermal conductivity at reduced materials cost which is a critical enabler for next-generation power electronics and AI accelerator packaging.
High-Performance Thermal Interface Materials for Increasing Power Densities
As semiconductor nodes shrink and power densities increase beyond what current TIMs can manage, Dycotec is researching next-generation thermal interface materials with significantly higher thermal conductivity. These developments target AI computing hardware, EV power modules, and industrial power electronics all sectors where thermal management is a primary design constraint.
Ultra-Fine-Line Printing for Advanced Semiconductor Packaging
The transition to advanced packaging formats, chiplets, 2D/3D integration, fan-out wafer-level packaging, demands interconnect line widths that approach or exceed the limits of conventional thick film printing. Dycotec's research in high-resolution printing techniques is developing processes capable of ultra-fine-line conductor deposition compatible with these next-generation formats, supporting continued performance scaling for AI chips, 5G infrastructure, and advanced processors.
Work with Dycotec on Your Semiconductor Materials Challenge
Whether you need a standard material from our existing range or a custom formulation developed for your specific substrate, process, and performance requirements, Dycotec's technical team is available to advise.