The performance of a semiconductor depends greatly upon the strength of its packaging assembly. Without a durable, reliable and efficient packaging assembly, the semiconductor is susceptible to corrosion, heat, moisture and physical impact as well as weakened connections to external circuits.
To ensure the protection of the device, many semiconductor packaging assemblies are composed out of an industrial-strength epoxy compound that provides physical protection and mechanical strength as well as a number of desired performance properties based on the application or the physical location of the semiconductor in the finished device.