Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T01:47:12.349Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Electro-Fragmentation Analysis of Dielectric Thin Films on Flexible Polymer Substrates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Albert Pinyol
Affiliation:
[email protected], Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC), Station 12, Lausanne, AL, CH-1015, Switzerland
Bastian Meylan
Affiliation:
[email protected], Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC), Station 12, Lausanne, AL, CH-1015, Switzerland
Damien Gilliéron
Affiliation:
damien.gillié[email protected], Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC), Station 12, Lausanne, AL, CH-1015, Switzerland
Aurélie Mottet
Affiliation:
[email protected], Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC), Station 12, Lausanne, AL, CH-1015, Switzerland
Vinodh Mewani
Affiliation:
[email protected], Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC), Station 12, Lausanne, AL, CH-1015, Switzerland
Yves Leterrier
Affiliation:
[email protected], Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC), Station 12, Lausanne, AL, CH-1015, Switzerland
Jan-Anders E Månson
Affiliation:
[email protected], Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC), Station 12, Lausanne, AL, CH-1015, Switzerland
Get access

Abstract

A novel electro-fragmentation method was developed as a fast alternative to the time consuming fragmentation test carried out in situ in a microscope, to investigate the failure of dielectric coatings on polymer substrates using an ultrathin conductive layer. Focus was put on SiNx coatings on polyimide substrates. A careful selection of the conductive layer was carried out to avoid artifacts resulting for instance from a change of the residual stress state of the investigated coating. Au layers were found to be too ductile and Al-Ti layers altered the stress state of the nitride, which invalidated their use to probe the failure of the nitride coatings. In contrast, a 20 nm thick graphite layer was found to accurately reproduce the failure of the nitride, which was analyzed in terms of residual strain and cohesive properties of the graphite layer. An electro-fatigue device was built and preliminary results suggest that damage already develops in ultrathin coatings at relatively low strain levels under long-term fatigue loading.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

[1] Crawford, G.P. (Ed.) Flexible Flat Panel Displays, J. Wiley, Chichester (UK) 2005.Google Scholar
[2] Leterrier, Y., Prog. Mater. Sci., 55 (2003) 1.Google Scholar
[3] Rochat, G., Leterrier, Y., Månson, J.-A.E. and Fayet, P., Thin Solid Films, 437 (2003) 204.10.1016/S0040-6090(03)00613-8Google Scholar
[4] Abdallah, A.A., Kozodaev, D., Bouten, P.C.P., Toonder, J.M.J. den, Schubert, U.S., With, G. de, Thin Solid Films, 503 (2006) 167.10.1016/j.tsf.2005.11.106Google Scholar
[5] Leterrier, Y., Mådico, L., Demarco, F., Månson, J.-A.E., Betz, U., Escolà, M.F., Olsson, M. Kharrazi and Atamny, F., Thin Solid Films, 460 (2004) 156.Google Scholar
[6] Cairns, D.C. and Crawford, G.P., Proc. IEEE, 93 (2005) 1451.10.1109/JPROC.2005.851515Google Scholar
[7] Dumont, P., Tornare, G., Leterrier, Y., Månson, J.-A.E., Thin Solid Films, 515 (2007) 7437.10.1016/j.tsf.2006.11.104Google Scholar
[8] Townsend, P.H., Barnett, D.M., Brunner, T.A., J. Appl. Phys., 62 (1987) 4438.Google Scholar
[9] Leterrier, Y., Fischer, C., Médico, L., Demarco, F., Månson, J.-A.E., Bouten, P., DeGoede, J., Nisato, G., Nairn, J.A., Proc. 46th SVC Ann. Conf., San-Francisco, May 3-8 (2003).Google Scholar