Fundamental Understanding of Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) for Flip Chip Packaging

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this research is to advance the fundamental understanding of the behavior of anisotropic conductive adhesives that could replace lead-containing solders in electronic packaging. Of particular interest is the capability of creating a thin film (ACF) of this material that is stable, with a high current density capacity. Replacing lead-containing solder with alternative interconnect material would significantly impact the manufacturing processes of microelectronic packaging systems, such as flip-chip, ball grid array (BGA), chip scale package (CSP), and surface mount technology (SMT). ACFs are one of the candidates to replace lead-containing solder as interconnect material. Currently, the reliability and performance of these ACF materials are not competitive, and improvements require a better understanding of the interfacial behavior developed in electronics packaging processes. In this project, chemical and physical properties of ACA materials will be studied, and the interfaces in ACF joint will be investigated. Then, the interfaces will be modified to maintain the electrical properties in extreme environment by using corrosion inhibitors and or sacrificial alloys. To improve the current density of ACA, the interfaces will be modified with self-assembling molecular (SAM) wires. The mechanically bonded interface between ACA and chip pad/substrate pad will be modified by SAM, which has been known to be able to deliver high current density. A computational modeling of the processing - property relationship will be developed. During the period of award, the PI will continue to address the integration of research and education with specific activities focused on high school teachers and students from underrepresented groups in local high schools.