January 14, 2013
Doug Dixon, Global Marketing Director, Henkel Electronics
|
Doug Dixon, Global Marketing Director, Henkel Electronics
|
There's no doubt that the industry is entering 2013
with a level of
uncertainty about global markets. What
is certain, at least in Henkel's view, are the drivers of technology and
areas
of growth. We see the consumer segment
continuing to be dominated by handhelds, with smart phones, tablets,
ultrabooks
and other portable devices adding even more functionality and
encouraging wider
adoption.
In the automotive sector,
electronic content in vehicles will continue to accelerate, with fuel
efficiency standards, safety features and entertainment systems driving
high-reliability technology innovation. And, in the fast-growing
lighting market, high-brightness LEDs (HB LEDs)
are delivering better energy-saving lighting options for automotive and
general
lighting applications.
Each of these market segments
have unique requirements and depend on
novel materials innovations to achieve their stated objectives. In the
handhelds sector, for example, the
exponential increases in functionality mean higher operating
temperatures. Here, effective thermal management is a large
consideration both for proper device function and user comfort. To
address these issues, Henkel has broad
range of thermal interface materials (TIM), the most recent of which,
LOCTITE
TAF-8800 thermal film, lowers the CPU operating temperature and the
product's
skin temperature significantly as compared to alternative solutions.
Plus, it's a lighter material, so doesn't
add undue weight to portable products.
With the
content of handhelds becoming
increasingly complex, the value of these devices has also risen, meaning
frequent replacement is not a welcome option for consumers.
Because of this, protecting the PCB with
advanced conformal coating materials and ensuring component interconnect
stability
with next-generation reworkable underfills is critical.
Henkel's portfolio of PCB protection and
underfill systems deliver long-term reliability for today’s high value
handhelds.
In the automotive market, reliability
reigns. All components, sensors, lighting elements --
everything -- has to be highly reliable over the long-term. Likewise,
the materials used within
automotive electronics have to deliver to these standards. Materials
like Henkel solder alloy LOCTITE
MULTICORE 90iSC, which offers superior reliability in a lead-free
formulation,
provide precisely the kind of high temperature compatibility auto
manufacturers
demand. Still other materials, such as
conformal coatings, potting solutions, underfills and lighting
encapsulants,
all play a role in ensuring robust and reliable
performance.
Not only are new lighting technologies --
namely HB LEDs -- becoming the
norm in automotive designs, but industrial, architectural and general
lighting
applications are also tapping into the power of HB LEDs. With brighter
light emissions comes the
requirement for better encapsulation materials that can withstand
certain
environmental conditions and ensure light quality for the long-term.
Henkel has been hard at work on some novel
new materials and expects to debut them in 2013.
Over
the next year or five or ten, we only see the continuation of
miniaturization, new package designs and integrated packaging
architectures driving
the semiconductor and assembly markets. So, while the global economy
remains
unpredictable, Henkel is confident about future opportunities and our
instrumental
role in delivering technology-enabling solutions.
Doug Dixon, Global Marketing Director
Henkel Electronic Materials LLC
|