Low Alpha Dose Barium Sulfate via Silica Extraction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional barium sulfate particles used in electronic components have high alpha doses, leading to soft errors due to alpha rays from inorganic materials, and there is a lack of methods to produce barium sulfate with sufficiently low alpha doses efficiently.

Innovation Solution

A process involving crushing barite ore to obtain particles with specific size and silica content, followed by elutriation and sieving treatments to reduce silica content, and subsequent chemical synthesis to produce barium sulfate with a silica content of 0.6% or less and an alpha dose of 0.07 cph/cm2 or less.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional barium sulfate is used as a filler in electronic components, then the components have good electrical insulating properties and chemical stability, but the alpha dose is high causing soft errors in memory chips

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of soft errorsVSAvoidalpha dose
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the harmful silica component from barium sulfate particles through elutriation treatment. By separating silica (which contains alpha-ray sources) from the barium sulfate matrix, the invention reduces the alpha dose while preserving the electrical insulating and chemical stability properties of barium sulfate that make it suitable for electronic components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the silica content parameter of barium sulfate from conventional levels (typically >1%) to a reduced level of 0.6% or less by weight. This parameter change is achieved through controlled elutriation that selectively removes silica particles, thereby reducing the alpha dose to 0.07 cph/cm² or less while maintaining the functional properties of barium sulfate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If barite ore is crushed and subjected to elutriation and sieving to reduce silica content, then the alpha dose is reduced, but the production process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesilica contentVSAvoidproduction process
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary crushing of barite ore to a specific particle size range (5-50 μm) before elutriation treatment. This preliminary size reduction prepares the material for effective silica separation in subsequent steps, making the overall process more efficient. By establishing the correct particle size distribution early, the invention facilitates easier and more effective silica removal through elutriation and sieving.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If barium sulfate particles are produced by chemical synthesis from aqueous barium sulfide solution, then the particle size distribution is narrow and dispersibility is improved, but the alpha dose is not sufficiently reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparticle size distributionVSAvoidalpha dose
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies elutriation treatment to remove silica from barium sulfate particles before the chemical synthesis step. By performing this silica removal action in advance, the invention ensures that the subsequent chemical synthesis produces particles with both narrow size distribution (from the aqueous barium sulfide method) and low alpha dose (from the pre-removed silica). This preliminary silica extraction is critical to achieving both manufacturing precision and low alpha dose simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The process effectively reduces the alpha dose of barium sulfate particles, minimizing the risk of soft errors in electronic components and allowing for their use in resin and resist ink compositions without the need for further grinding, resulting in improved electrical insulating and chemical stability properties.

Implementation Method 1

the crushed ore is subjected to an elutriation treatment and/or a sieving treatment to remove coarse particles having a high silica content

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElutriation:

Implementation Method 2

the thus obtained first product is reduced to obtain barium sulfide as a second product

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectReduction: Reduction

Implementation Method 3

applying a chemical synthesis method to the aqueous solution so that barium sulfide is reacted with sulfuric acid

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectChemical synthesis: Chemical Bonding

Implementation Method 4

a low alpha dose barium sulfate particle having a silica content of 0.6% by weight or less and an alpha dose of 0.07 cph/cm2 or less is obtained

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPrecipitation: Precipitation

Data Source

PatentUS10836647B2Low alpha dose barium sulfate particle, and use and process for producing the same
Publication Date: 2020.11.17 SAKAI CHEM IND CO LTD

AI summary

The invention provides a low alpha dose barium sulfate particle having a silica content of 0.6% by weight or less and an alpha dose of 0.07 cph/cm2 or less.