The reliability of LEDs decreases in moist environments. One potential gateway of moisture ingress, reducing the product lifetime is the lens. In white LEDs, phosphor particles are embedded into the optical silicone of the lens to convert the blue light emitted by the diode down in frequency and achieve a light output that appears white. In this study, the influence of these phosphor particles on the moisture sorption, permeation and diffusion in optical silicones is investigated by comparing two silicone resins that are commonly used in LEDs, both with and without the addition of phosphor particles. The results of two methods are compared: the wet-cup method and a gravimetric approach of dynamic vapour sorption (DVS). Diffusion coefficients between 20 and 75 °C are reported as well as sorption isotherms, activation energy and sorption enthalpy. It is concluded that the addition of phosphor particles only has a very small impact on the moisture transport properties of the silicones.@en

Degradation mechanisms of silicone plates under harsh environment conditions are studied in this investigation. Environmental degradation of silicone free form, used as secondary optics in Light Emitting Diode LED lighting lamps and luminaires or any other applications requiring high quality optics being used, has negative implications for the optical performance. Degradation of silicone plates in harsh environment conditions was studied in salt bath and swimming water environments, using different light radiation and temperatures. Samples were exposed to harsh environment conditions for up to 4 months. Optical and chemical characteristics of exposed plates were studied using an Fourier transform infrared- attenuated total reflection FTIR-ATR spectrometer, an integrated sphere, and a Lambda 950 Ultraviolet-Visible UV-VIS spectrophotometer. Results show that 100 °C salt bath exposure had the most severe degrading effect on the optical characteristic of silicone plates. Increasing exposure time in the salt bath at that high temperature is associated with a significant deterioration of both optical (i.e., light transmission and relative radiant power value) and mechanical properties of silicone samples. On the contrary, silicone plates showed a great degree of stability against light exposure (UV at 360 nm and blue light at 450 nm)@en

Adhesive bonding is a key joining technology in many industrial applications, including automotive, aerospace industries, biomedical devices, and microelectronic components. Adhesive bonding is gaining more and more attention due to the increasing demand for joining similar or dissimilar components, mostly within the framework of designing lightweight structures. Silicone sealant is widely used in engineering application due to its thermal stability, excellent energy absorption, and good damping characteristics. In those applications, sealant usually exposed to various environment stress, such as, high temperature, mechanical stress, humidity, light radiation, and chemical attack. Long-term stability and durability of sealant is crucial to the performance of the associated application. The main degrading factors for silicone in microelectronic applications are temperature, humidity, alkali, and mechanical loading. The focus in the present paper is to understand different failure mechanisms in silicone sealants and adhesives and to study how different environmental, mechanical, and service-related stresses attribute to the kinetics and extent of degradation in silicone sealants and adhesives. The impact of different failure mechanisms on the lifetime and reliability of microelectronic devices will be methodically investigated.@en

Tarnishing of the reflective silver layer in LED packages is an important failure mechanism, leading to both a decrease in luminous flux by up to 75% and a change in color spectrum.@en

Tarnishing of the reflective silver layer in LED packages is an important failure mechanism, leading to both a decrease in luminous flux by up to 75% and a change in color spectrum.@en