An integrated circuit (IC) assembly comprising an IC die and a frame material that has been dispensed over the assembly substrate to be further adjacent to a perimeter edge of the IC die. The frame material may be selected to have flow properties that minimize slump, for example so a profile of a transverse cross-section through the frame material may retain convex curvature. The frame material may be cured following dispense, and upon application of a thermal interface material (TIM), the frame material may and act as a barrier, impeding flow of the TIM. The frame material may be compressed by force applied through an external thermal solution, such as a heat sink, to ensure good contact to the TIM.