ABSTRACT
Electronics is a field of rapid development. The invention of the silicon transistor and the implementation of the planar technology for producing thousands of transistors and other semiconductor compounds on a wafer simultaneously, and therefore very cheaply, were the basis for the progress in modern microelectronics. Polyimide precursors or soluble polyimides that possess photoresist properties (right) provide less costs and higher yields because of less, time-saving, and safer processing steps. This chapter reviews aspects of the design of and requirements on photosensitive polyimide precursors and soluble polyimides, especially the performance of commercially available materials for electronic and microelectronic applications, and gives an outlook for future requirements. Low curing temperatures for photosensitive polyimides are desirable for applications in microelectronics. The lowest practical temperature that leads to a complete curing is 350°C for most types of photosensitive polyimide precursors (and polyimides).
