Commercially successful fully synthetic polymeric materials were pro duced in the early years of this century, the first example being Bakelite. This was made from phenol and formaldehyde by Leo Bakeland in 1909. Before the end of the 1920s, a large number of other synthetic polymers had been created, including polyvinyl chloride and urea-formaldehyde. Today, there are literally hundreds of synthetic polymers commercially available with ranges of properties making them suitable for applications in many industrial sectors, including the electrical and electronics industries. In many instances the driving force behind the development of new materials actually came from the electronics industry, and today's advanced electronics would be inconceivable without these materials. For many years polymers have been widely used in all sectors of the electronics industry. From the early days of the semiconductor industry to the current state of the art, polymers have provided the enabling technologies that have fuelled the inexorable and rapid development of advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices."

Much of the progress towards ever greater miniaturisation made by the electronics industry, from the early days of valves to the development of the transistor and later the integrated circuit, has only been made possible because of the availability of various polymeric materials. Indeed, many new plastics have been developed specifically for electri cal and electronic device applications and as a consequence the plastics and electronics industries have continued to grow side-by-side. Electronic components are one of the few groups of products in which the real cost performance function has declined significantly over the years, and part of the reason can be directly attributed to the availability and performance of new polymeric materials. The evolu tion of the personal computer is a specific example, where improve ments in polymer-based photoresists and plastic encapsulation techni ques have allowed the mass production of high-density memories and microprocessors at a cost which yields machines more powerful than mainframe computers of 30 years ago for little more than the price of a toy. Today, plastic materials are widely used throughout all areas of electrical and electronic device production in diverse applications ranging from alpha particle barriers on memory devices to insulator mouldings for the largest bushings and transformers. Plastics, or more correctly polymers, find use as packaging materials for individual microcircuits, protective coatings, wire and cable insulators, printed circuit board components, die attach adhesives, equipment casings and a host of other applications."

Polymeric materials are widely used during nearly all stages of the manufacturing process of electronics products and this book is intended to give an introductory overview of the chemistry, properties and uses of some of the more important classes of materials likely to be encountered in these applications. It is intended to serve primarily as an introduction to the use of polymers and plastics in the processing and manufacture of electronic and electrical components and assemblies. With no in-depth knowledge of polymers assumed, the book is ideal for engineers and researchers working in areas where electronics and polymer technology overlap. There are also numerous references for those wishing to delve deeper. The first edition of this book was published in 1985 and since then there has been an unbelievable change and growth in the electronics industry. Much of this has been made possible by the continued development of new and improved polymeric materials. In some areas the polymers used have changed markedly whereas in others there have been continued improvements to the same basic materials. Consequently, this second edition includes new chapters detailing the materials which have emerged more recently. Chapters covering the same topics as the original version have been extensively rewritten and updated, often with the assistance of current international experts. In the last few years much work has been carried out on the development and use of special polymers that have important properties in addition to those normally associated with conventional polymers. This edition therefore includes a chapter that introduces one particular group of materials exhibiting these special properties, the ferroelectric polymers. The book also includes new chapters on high temperature thermoplastics, or engineering plastics as they are sometimes known, and their use in so-called moulded interconnect devices, where the polymer is used to provide a much wider range of functions than has been possible using a more conventional approach. This new edition also has a wider international coverage with chapters by experts based in Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, England and the United States of America.

Polymeric materials are widely used during nearly all stages of the manufacturing process of electronics products and this book is intended to give an introductory overview of the chemistry, properties and uses of some of the more important classes of materials likely to be encountered in these applications. It is intended to serve primarily as an introduction to the use of polymers and plastics in the processing and manufacture of electronic and electrical components and assemblies. With no in-depth knowledge of polymers assumed, the book is ideal for engineers and researchers working in areas where electronics and polymer technology overlap. There are also numerous references for those wishing to delve deeper. The first edition of this book was published in 1985 and since then there has been an unbelievable change and growth in the electronics industry. Much of this has been made possible by the continued development of new and improved polymeric materials. In some areas the polymers used have changed markedly whereas in others there have been continued improvements to the same basic materials. Consequently, this second edition includes new chapters detailing the materials which have emerged more recently. Chapters covering the same topics as the original version have been extensively rewritten and updated, often with the assistance of current international experts. In the last few years much work has been carried out on the development and use of special polymers that have important properties in addition to those normally associated with conventional polymers. This edition therefore includes a chapter that introduces one particular group of materials exhibiting these special properties, the ferroelectric polymers. The book also includes new chapters on high temperature thermoplastics, or engineering plastics as they are sometimes known, and their use in so-called moulded interconnect devices, where the polymer is used to provide a much wider range of functions than has been possible using a more conventional approach. This new edition also has a wider international coverage with chapters by experts based in Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, England and the United States of America.

Commercially successful fully synthetic polymeric materials were pro duced in the early years of this century, the first example being Bakelite. This was made from phenol and formaldehyde by Leo Bakeland in 1909. Before the end of the 1920s, a large number of other synthetic polymers had been created, including polyvinyl chloride and urea-formaldehyde. Today, there are literally hundreds of synthetic polymers commercially available with ranges of properties making them suitable for applications in many industrial sectors, including the electrical and electronics industries. In many instances the driving force behind the development of new materials actually came from the electronics industry, and today's advanced electronics would be inconceivable without these materials. For many years polymers have been widely used in all sectors of the electronics industry. From the early days of the semiconductor industry to the current state of the art, polymers have provided the enabling technologies that have fuelled the inexorable and rapid development of advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices."