Characterization for coating processes of imidazole powders using an ultrasonic atomizer

Imidazole-curing accelerator powders were coated with stearic acid to increase the pot life of anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) formulations. To accomplish an efficient coating process, the coating was tested using an ultrasonic atomizer after mixing imidazole powders with a molten coating agent. Design of experiments analysis was organized to elucidate the effect of process parameters and to deternine the most crucial parameter. The final formulation incorporating well-processed imidazole loaded powders indicated longer pot life, higher shear strength, and excellent highly accelerated stress test (HAST) reliability. Results show that the coating process using an ultrasonic atomizer is effective in increasing the pot life of ACA formulations.