Thermal degradation of anisotropic conductive film joints under temperature fluctuation

Thermo-mechanical reliability of the anisotropic conductive film (ACF) joints in relation with flip chip bonding forces was evaluated by thermal shock testing. Two kinds of main failure modes were detected after thermal shock testing: formation of a conduction gap between conductive particles and Au bump or Ni/Au-plated Cu pad, and delamination of the adhesive matrix from the plated Cu pad on the flexible substrate. The determination of the failure mode was mainly affected by the variation of the bonding force. The main failure mode of the thermally shocked ACF joints was conduction gap for the joints with low bonding forces and adhesive matrix delamination for the joints with high bonding forces. Finite element analysis was also performed to determine the stress distributions within the two kinds of flip chip packages having different bonding gaps when it was stressed by the temperature rising.