Adhesive composition and semiconductor device using same

1. A semiconductor device having a structure in which a semiconductor element and a semiconductor element-mounting supporting member are bonded via an adhesive composition, wherein the semiconductor element is a power module, transmitter, amplifier, or LED module,

wherein, before curing, the adhesive composition comprising silver particles containing silver atoms and zinc particles containing metallic zinc,

wherein the silver atom content is 90 mass % or greater and the zinc atom content is from 0.01 mass % to 0.6 mass %, with respect to the total transition metal atoms in the adhesive composition.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein, before curing, the mean particle diameter of the primary particles of the zinc particles is from 50 nm to 150,000 nm.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein, before curing, the zinc particles are flaky.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein, before curing, the mean particle diameter of the primary particles of the silver particles is from 0.1 μm to 50 μm.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein an adherend surface of the semiconductor element is formed of gold.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the silver atom content is 95 mass % or greater.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the zinc atom content is from 0.05 mass % to 0.6 mass %, with respect to the total transition metal atoms in the adhesive composition.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the zinc atom content is from 0.08 mass % to 0.6 mass %, with respect to the total transition metal atoms in the adhesive composition.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the zinc atom content is from 0.1 mass % to 0.6 mass %, with respect to the total transition metal atoms in the adhesive composition.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the zinc atom content is from 0.1 mass % to 0.5 mass %, with respect to the total transition metal atoms in the adhesive composition.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive composition bonding the semiconductor element and the semiconductor element-mounting supporting member is cured to provide a sintered metal having distributed voids.

12. A semiconductor device having a structure in which a semiconductor element and a semiconductor element-mounting supporting member are bonded via an adhesive composition,

wherein, before curing, the adhesive composition comprising silver particles containing silver atoms and zinc particles containing metallic zinc, the form of the zinc particles being mass-like, needle-like or flaky,

wherein the silver atom content is 90 mass % or greater and the zinc atom content is from 0.01 mass % to 0.6 mass %, with respect to the total transition metal atoms in the adhesive composition.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein, before curing, the adhesive composition further comprises a dispersing medium.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein the dispersing medium contains at least one compound selected from among alcohols, carboxylic acids and esters with a boiling point of 300° C. or higher.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein, before curing, the adhesive composition has a Casson viscosity from 0.05 Pa·s to 2.0 Pa·s.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein, before curing, the mean particle diameter of the primary particles of the zinc particles is from 50 nm to 150,000 nm.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein, before curing, the zinc particles are flaky.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein, before curing, the mean particle diameter of the primary particles of the silver particles is from 0.1 μm to 50 μm.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the volume resistivity and thermal conductivity of a cured product obtained by thermosetting the adhesive composition are 1×10 −4 Ω·cm or lower and 30 W/m·K or higher, respectively.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the adhesive composition bonding the semiconductor element and the semiconductor element-mounting supporting member is cured to provide a sintered metal having distributed voids.