Screen-printable encapsulants based on soluble polybenzoxazoles

1. A screen-printable composition paste for coating an electronic component that may be embedded in a printed wiring board comprising:

a polybenzoxazole polymer; and

an organic solvent;

wherein:

the screen-printable composition paste is sufficiently viscous for use in screen printing;

the polybenzoxazole polymer includes repeating units represented by the formula

m is the number of repeating units in the polybenzoxazole and Ar is independently selected from the group consisting essentially of:

X is O, SO 2 , C(CF 3 ) 2 , C(CH 3 ) 2 , C═O, or O bonded by para-C 6 H 5 O; and

the organic solvent has a melting point no greater than about 5° C.

2. The composition of to claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises alpha, beta-unsaturated cycloalkanones represented by the formula:

wherein R1, R2, R3, and R5 are each independently H or CH 3 ; R4 is H, CH 3 or CH(CH 3 )═CH 2 ; or R3 and R6 together form a methylene group forming an internal four member ring.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises isopropenyl or exocyclic double bond-substituted cycloalkanones represented by the formula:

or exocyclic double bond-substituted cycloalkanones represented by the formula

wherein R7 is H; R8 and R9 are each independently H or CH 3 (or R7 and R8 together form ═C(CH 3 ) 2 ; R10 is H; R11 is H or CH(CH 3 )═CH 2 ; and R12 is H or CH 3 .

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises acetyl cycloalkenes represented by the formula

wherein a is 0 (a single C—C bond) or 1; b is 0 or 1; R13 and R14 are each independently H or CH 3 ; and R15 is H or CH 3 .

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises alpha-acetyl cycloalkanones represented by the formula:

wherein c is 0 (a single C—C bond) or 1.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises lactams represented by the formula:

wherein d is 1 or 2; R16 and R18 are each independently H or CH 3 ; and R17 is CH 3 .

7. The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises bicyclic ketone consisting of fenchone.

8. A method of encapsulating an electronic component that may be embedded in a printed wiring board or an IC package substrate, the method comprising:

screen-printing the electronic component with a screen-printable composition according to claim 1 ; and

removing the organic solvent by baking the printed electronic component at a temperature of less than about 300° C.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent has a melting point no greater than about 5° C., and wherein the organic solvent is selected from the group consisting essentially of alpha, beta-unsaturated cycloalkanones; isopropenyl or exocyclic double bond-substituted cycloalkanones; alpha-acetyl cycloalkanones; alpha-acetyl cycloalkenes; butenone substituted cycloalkenes; greater than five member ring lactams; bicyclic ketones; and mixtures thereof.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the electronic component is a fired-on-foil ceramic capacitor that may be embedded in a printed wiring board or an IC package substrate.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the polybenzoxazole has a water absorption of 2% or less (based on the weight of the polybenzoxazole) according to the Encapsulant Film Moisture Absorption Test and a Tg greater than about 260° C.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the polybenzoxazole encapsulant has a water absorption of about 1% or less (based on the weight of the polybenzoxazole) according to the Encapsulant Film Moisture Absorption Test.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the screen-printable composition further comprises one or more of the following: an electrically insulated filler, a defoamer, or a colorant.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: the additional step of embedding the encapsulated capacitor in a printed wiring board using a prepreg, wherein the adhesion of the polybenzoxazole encapsulant to the capacitor and the adhesion of the polybenzoxazole encapsulant to the prepreg are both greater than 2 pounds force/inch, when measured according to IPCTM-650 adhesion test number 2.4.9.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein during said removing the organic solvent by baking the printed fired-on-foil ceramic capacitor, the baking temperature is at all times less than 250° C.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein during said removing the organic solvent by baking the printed fired-on-foil ceramic capacitor, the baking temperature is at all times less than 200° C.

17. An electronic component made according to the process of claim 9 , wherein the electronic component is a fired-on-foil ceramic capacitor embedded in a printed wiring board using a prepreg.

18. The embedded capacitor of claim 17 , wherein the embedded fired-on-foil capacitor does not delaminate from the prepreg when subjected to five successive solder floats at 260° C.

19. The embedded capacitor of claim 17 wherein in a Temperature Humidity Bias Test conducted at 85° C. with 85% relative humidity and a 5 volt DC bias, the insulation resistance of the capacitor remains greater than 10 megohms after 1000 hours.

20. An electronic component made according to the process of claim 9 , wherein the electronic component is a fired-on-foil ceramic capacitor, and wherein a 30% solution of sulfuric acid does not penetrate the polybenzoxazole encapsulant when the capacitor is immersed in the sulfuric acid solution for 6 minutes.

21. The screen-printable composition paste of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises isophorone, carvone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-piperidone, 1,5-dimethyl-2-piperidone, N-methylcaprolactam, dihydrocarvone, 1-acetyl-1-cyclohexene, 2-acetyl-cyclopentanone, 3,5-trimethylcyclohexanone, verbenone, fenchone, pulegone, beta-ionone, or N-methylcaprolactam.

22. The screen-printable composition paste of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises isophorone or carvone.