Dow Electronic Materials Presents Innovative Materials for Printed Circuit Boards at IPC/APEX Expo

Dow Electronic Materials will present its innovative materials for printed circuit boards (PCB) at the IPC APEX Expo (Booth # 419, Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA) on April 6-8. The new generation of products are specifically designed to meet the challenges of increasingly complex circuit boards, and deliver higher reliability and consistency for telecom, military, aerospace and medical applications.

For PCB Electrolytic Plating, MICROFILL^TM EVF Via Fill provides greatly enhanced via filling at exceptionally low surface thicknesses and is capable of simultaneous through-hole plating. It is suitable for both HDI (High Density Interconnect) and IC (Integrated Circuit) substrate applications. More information can be found at http://go.rohmhaas.com/microfill.

For PCB Making Holes Conductive, CIRCUPOSIT^TM 7800 Desmear for SAP (Semi-additive Process) delivers uniform and stable adhesion promotion treatment and reliable via bottom cleaning. It provides excellent plating coverage, high peeling strength and reliability.

For PCB Final Finish, RONAMERSE^TM SMT Hole Conditioner and CONDITIONER BP are two products aimed at solving industry wide background plating and tooling-hole plating issues. RONAMERSE^TM SMT Hole Conditioner poisons the catalytic effect of residual palladium inside tooling holes. CONDITIONER BP can effectively lift off residual palladium from the surface, thereby eliminating background plating. Both products can be easily integrated into the existing Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) process.

For PCB Imaging, LAMINAR^TM E9200 Dry Film photoresist is a multi-functional Alkali etch that works with nearly all PCB processes including ENIG and immersion silver. It is capable of 1-to-1 resolution and available in various thicknesses. The LAMINAR^TM UD900 Series photoresist is the latest offering for Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) applications. This series of photoresist delivers fast photo speed, superior adhesion and exceptional performance in plating applications.

New products to be commercialized include LITHOJET^TM 210 Etch Resist. This is a revolutionary product enabling digital fabrication of PCB inner layers. The digital process enables simplified manufacturing process, faster turnaround time, improved yield and cost effective manufacturing of large number of small batch PCBs.

"Materials that deliver reliability, consistency and reduced cost for PCBs are keys to success for telecom, military, aerospace and medical applications,” said Bob Ferguson, global general manager for Dow Electronic Materials. "As a leader in metallization technologies, Dow Electronic Materials is pleased to present the high-performance and cost effective materials for the PCB industry. With our leading technology, excellent customer service and global footprint, we are committed to deliver innovative technologies for the electronic market,” he said.

®™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow.

About Dow

Dow combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element” to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2009, Dow had annual sales of $45 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 214 sites in 37 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Dow Electronic Materials

Dow Electronic Materials, a global supplier of materials and technologies to the electronics industry, brings innovative leadership to the semiconductor, interconnect, finishing, photovoltaic, display, LED and optics markets. From advanced technology centers worldwide, teams of talented Dow research scientists and application experts work closely with customers, providing solutions, products and technical service necessary for next-generation electronics. These partnerships energize Dow’s power to invent. Its key end-use applications include a broad range of consumer electronics from personal computers, to television monitors, cellular phones, global positioning systems, automobile safety systems, and avionics.