Indium Corporation will present research on indium-based solder thermal interface materials (sTIMs) at the IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), taking place 26–29 May 2026 in Orlando, Florida. Applications Development Engineer Kyle Aserian, part of the company's Engineered Solder Materials (ESM) group, will deliver the paper titled Fluxless Vacuum Formic Acid Reflow of Indium Solder Thermal Interface Materials in Large Area BGA Packages on 27 May.
The presentation addresses a growing challenge in advanced packaging: effective thermal management in high-density AI accelerators and data-centre processors, where power densities continue to rise as die sizes increase and heterogeneous integration becomes standard. Conventional polymer TIMs are increasingly insufficient for these demands, and the industry is exploring metallurgical alternatives with higher bulk thermal conductivity.
According to Indium Corporation, indium-based sTIMs achieve a thermal conductivity of 86 W/mK, substantially higher than polymer-based thermal interface materials. The company reports that indium sTIMs also offer improved metallurgical bond capability and enhanced thermal cycling reliability—properties relevant to multi-reflow BGA assembly scenarios where the interface material is subjected to repeated temperature excursions during board-level processing.
A central element of the research is the use of fluxless vacuum formic acid reflow, a process intended to minimise voiding without the residue concerns associated with conventional flux-based reflow. Voiding control is critical in large-area BGA packages because non-uniform voids create localised hotspots that reduce heat dissipation efficiency and can accelerate electromigration and solder fatigue failure. The paper presents pathways to ultra-low voiding for more uniform thermal performance across the package footprint.
For European electronics manufacturers and EMS providers working with high-performance computing boards, advanced packaging assemblies, or AI inference hardware, the process approach described is directly relevant. Vacuum reflow equipment capable of formic acid atmospheres is already available from several European and Asian equipment suppliers, meaning the described methodology can in principle be integrated into existing production environments with appropriate tooling.
Indium Corporation, founded in 1934 and headquartered in Clinton, New York, operates production and technical support facilities in Germany, among other locations, giving the company a direct presence in the European market. The company's product portfolio covers solders and fluxes, brazes, thermal interface materials, sputtering targets, and specialty metals including indium, gallium, germanium, and tin. Aserian joined the company in 2022, initially focusing on solder alloy characterisation and test method development before moving into applications work on high-performance TIMs.
