ADHESIVES: The Importance of CTE for Assembly Reliability

Adhesive compounds play a critical role in the fabrication of assemblies for electronic, optical, and mechanical systems. In securing multiple components into a single structure, bonding agents such as epoxies and silicones help stabilize the assembly despite the various sources of stress that can arise in the target application. Among these stress factors, differences in thermal expansion of the components of an assembly represent one of the most insidious and potentially damaging sources of stress.