Coating materials for electronic applications

Since thepublication of the Handbook of Polymer Coatings for Electronics,Second Edition, by Licari and Hughes, more than a decade ago,considerable changes have occurred in technology and in themarketplace, especially with the mergers of companies, spin-offs ofnew companies, discontinuance of product lines, and changes intradenames. Many technologies and product lines have been canceledwhile others have been sold or transferred several times over.Furthermore, drastic retrenchments in R&D and general burdenbudgets, both by the government and industry, have occurred. Thein-depth characterization of materials that was prevalent in the1960s through the 1980s has slowed considerably. Major changes havealso occurred in government and military procurements of electronicequipment. Numerous military and federal specifications have beencanceled or inactivated for new designs and replaced byindustry-association specifications. This reliance on industry andcommercial specifications resulted from the government’s policy ofreducing costs by procuring commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)components and equipment, provided they met the performancerequirements of a specific program.