Papers by Keyword: Thin Copper Foils

Abstract: Flexible printed circuit board (PCB), which is used for folder and slide type cellular phones, consists of flexible copper clad laminate (FCCL) and cover layer. Through it an electric current is applied to liquid crystal display (LCD) from the main board of cellular phone. In thin Cu foils of flexible PCB fatigue cracks due to repeated bending motion generate and propagate, and they cause a short circuit. Fatigue behavior of thin Cu foils being used for flexible PCB must be evaluated and confirmed to resolve this problem. It is based on findings by several researches that the mechanical properties of thin film materials differ from those of their bulk counterparts. Thin film properties have been investigated over the last years; however fatigue behavior of thin films has not yet been studied as thoroughly as monotonic behavior. In this study fatigue properties of thin Cu foils for the application in flexible PCB are obtained. Fatigue testing was performed for two kinds of Cu foils that were made by rolling and electrochemical procedures respectively. Differences of fabrications in fatigue behavior of thin foils were distinguished. Especially for rolled Cu foils, effects of rolling directions in fatigue properties were evaluated.

Abstract: Tensile testing of thin rolled copper foils with thickness ranging from 10 to 250 µm shows a dependence of the fracture strain with respect to the thickness of the foils [G. Simons et al., in Solid Mechanics and its Applications, Vol. 114 (2004), pp. 89-96]. To understand the influence of the microstructure in the foils on this phenomenon the microtexture is investigated by orientation mapping through electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). As the samples are rather small standard preparation techniques do not apply. Two methods are described which allow the investigation of different section cuts of the samples: Cross sections of the samples were produced by ion beam cutting with a wide beam of 7 keV Kr ions. Internal planes parallel to the specimen surface were made accessible by wet etching. The as-received material possesses a very strong texture consisting mostly of the cube component and some remnants of a previous rolling texture. Specimens tested in a tensile test do not show major microstructural changes compared to virgin samples. After a heat treatment at 300°C the cube texture has significantly weakened in favour of revived rolling components, and the fracture strain increased about ten times relative to the as-is material.