February 17, 2012 — Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd.’s new KER-7000 Series silicone encapsulating materials offer a low (1.38) refractive index (RI) for high-brightness light-emitting diode (HB-LED) packaging with lower gas permeability.
Shin-Etsu Chemical’s silicone encapsulating materials include a methyl-group material for improved heat resistance and phenyl-group material that is characterized by low gas permeability.
The encapsulant targets low gas permeability, good photo-thermal stability in withstanding high temperatures, and optical transparency over the LED lifetime. The new materialset reduces gas permeability by 1/10, Shin-Etsu reports, to prevent oxidation that leads to light-intensity degradation. The highly transparent encapsulant suits flat-package HB-LEDs.
KER-7000 materials’ heat resistance is at the same level as that of the methyl-group. When compared with the phenyl group, the new product has the same level of gas permeability and much higher resistance to high temperatures.
The series includes 2 hardness-level products: KER-7080 A/B has a hardness level of (Durometer A) 80, and KER-7030 A/B has a hardness level of (Durometer A) 30.
The company is beginning sample shipments, mainly for applications in LED lighting.
Shin-Etsu Chemical, in addition to encapsulating materials, develops heat-radiating die-bond materials, lens materials, reflector materials and moisture-proof insulating materials for HB-LEDs. Learn more at www.shinetsu.co.jp.