Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) Prepared from Epoxy/Rubber Resins and Its Fabrication and Reliability for LCD

A thermoset type anisotropic conductive adhesive film (ACAF) comprising epoxy resin and natural butyl rubber (NBR) as the binder, micro-encapsulated imidazole as the curing agent, and Ni/Au coated polymer bead as a conductive particle has been studied. These films have been prepared to respond to requirements such as improved contact resistance, current status less of than 60 ${\mu}m$ and reliability. These films can also be used for connection between the ITO glass for LCD panel and the flexible circuit board. The curing conditions for the connection were 40, 20 and 15 seconds at 150, 170 and 190 $^{\circ}C$, respectively. The initial contact resistance and adhesion strength were 0.5 ${\Omega}/square$ and 0.4 kg/cm under the condition of 30 kgf/$^{cm}^2}$, respectively. After completing one thousand thermal shock cycling tests between -15 $^{\circ}C$ and 100 $^{\circ}C$, the contact resistance was maintained below 0.7 ${\Omega}/square$. Durability against high temperature (80$^{\circ}C$) and high humidity (85 % RH) was also tested to confirm long-term stability (1000 hrs) of the conduction.