Kapton® polyimide films
DuPont™ Kapton® polyimide film has more than 40 years of proven performance as the material of choice in applications involving temperature extremes and harsh environments. Within the photovoltaic market, Kapton® films are now in commercial use as well as in evaluation for substrates in thin film amorphous silicon (a-Si) modules and CIGS applications.
Kapton® provides:
- Roll-to-roll processing
- Low CTE to minimize stress
- Low moisture uptake and high moisture release characteristics
- Excellent electrical properties and increased voltage endurance
- Ceramic filled versions to increase corona resistance and thermal conductivity
- Future generation substrates with higher temperature and lower CTE capacity under development
- Complementary flexible ultra moisture barrier topp sheet and low moisture ingress encapsulant under development
Technical Data for Standard Kapton® Polyimide Film
| Kapton® Gage/Type | 200H | 200E | 200EN-L |
| Modulus MD @50C (GPa) | 2.4 | 6.3 | 5.9 |
| Modulus MD @480C (GPa) | 0.2 | <0.1 | 0.4 |
| avg CTE (ppm/°C) MD/TD (50-350°C) | 29 | 16 | 11 |
| Tg (DMA, tan d, °C) | 402 | 355 | 372 |
| Slip Additive | N | N | Y |
The low CTE of Kapton® E and EN-L polyimide films minimizes the stress at the interface both during processing and end use temperature extremes.
Technical Data for a Filled Kapton® Polyimide Film
| Properties | Kapton® MT |
| Thermal Conductivity | 0.45 W/m-K |
| Dielectric Strength | 5000 volts/mil |
| Elongation | 80% |
| Cut Through | 40 lbs |
| Modulus | 3.2 GPa |
Kapton® MT has 3X both the thermal conductivity and cut-through strength of standard polyimides while not sacrificing physical or electrical properties
