Desiccation of moisture-sensitive electronic devices

A method of desiccating an environment surrounding a moisture-sensitive electronic device sealed within an enclosure, comprising:

• (a) selecting a desiccant including solid particles having a particle size range 0.1 to 200 micrometers, the desiccant selected to provide an equilibrium minimum humidity level lower than a humidity level to which the device is sensitive within the sealed enclosure;
• (b) choosing a radiation-curable binder that maintains or enhances the moisture absorption rate of the desiccant for blending the selected desiccant therein, the radiation-curable binder being in liquid phase or dissolved in a liquid;
• (c) forming a castable blend comprised of at least the desiccant particles and the radiation-curable binder, the blend having a preferred weight fraction of the desiccant particles in the blend in a range of 10% to 90%;
• (d) casting a measured amount of the blend onto a portion of an interior surface of an enclosure to form a desiccant layer thereover, the enclosure having a sealing flange;
• (e) curing the desiccant layer to a solid by exposing the layer to curing radiation selected to cure the radiation-curable binder;
• and
• (f) sealing the electronic device with the enclosure along the sealing flange.

A method of desiccating an environment surrounding a moisture-sensitive electronic device sealed within an enclosure, comprising:

• (a) selecting a desiccant including solid particles having a particle size range, the desiccant selected to provide an equilibrium minimum humidity level lower than a humidity level to which the device is sensitive within the sealed enclosure;
• (b) choosing a binder that maintains or enhances the moisture absorption rate of the desiccant for blending the selected desiccant therein, the binder being in liquid phase or dissolved in a liquid;
• (c) forming a castable blend comprised of at least the desiccant particles and the binder, the blend having a weight ratio of the desiccant particles to the organic binder;
• (d) casting the blend onto one surface of a support to form a desiccant layer thereover, an opposing surface of the support being an adhesively bondable surface;
• (e) solidifying the desiccant layer to a solid;
• (f) cutting a sized piece of the support and adhesively bonding the bondable surface to a portion on an interior surface of an enclosure, the enclosure having a sealing flange;
• and
• (g) sealing the electronic device with the enclosure along the sealing flange.