A thermomechanical study of the electrical resistance of Cu lead interconnections

Abstract

The choice of liquid crystal display (LCD) driver packaging technology significantly influences the display performance of flat panel displays. Tape automated bonding (TAB) is generally the method of choice for connecting the LCD and the LCD driver circuit in flat panel displays. To achieve a finer pitch, an easier assembly, and a greater connection reliability, the design of the inner Cu lead must not only consider thermomechanical failure aspects, but must also maintain an acceptable joint resistance. This paper proposes an analytical model to predict the unit change in resistance of the copper foils used for TAB inner lead interconnections under various thermal environments and stressstrain states. The analytical model is based on a constitutive equation of the copper foil and the working principle of strain gages. Copper foil specimens are tensile tested at temperatures of 25°C, 50°C, 75°C, and 100°C at strain rates of 0.2/min. and 0.5/min., respectively, to confirm the validity of the developed analytical model. The numerical results and the experimental data are found to be in good agreement. Hence, the analytical method provides the means of predicting the thermal effect on the electrical and mechanical properties of the copper foils. Finally, by implementing finite-element method (FEM) solutions in the developed analytical model, this study constructs electrical resistance design charts to predict the variation in the electrical resistance of the copper foils under different thermal-mechanical conditions.