Microstructural characterization of electrically failed conductive traces printed from Ag nanoparticle inks

摘要

Conductive traces printed from nanoparticle loaded silver inks failed due to the application of excessive electrical current. A non-homogeneous microstructure was observed in the vicinity of the failed region consisting of sintered particles, grains and melted particles indicating a significant amount of heat was transferred to the conductive trace, in some cases, resulting in substrate damage. A simple physical model describing the failure mechanisms is proposed.