Current-Induced Changes of Surface Morphology in Printed Ag Thin Wires

Abstract

Current-induced changes of surface morphology in printed Ag thin wires were investigated by current stressing tests and numerical simulation. The samples were printed Ag thin wires on a flexible substrate with input and output pads. Different experimentalresults were obtainedthroughchangingthe current density after current supply and the mechanism of those phenomena were investigated by numerical simulations based on the method of atomic flux divergence. Good agreement between the simulations and experimental results was reached. It was found that electromigration was the main factor that caused the change of the surface morphology. The contribution of thermal migration can be ignored, and the Joule heating lead by the supplied current had a very significant accelerating effect on electromigration. Guidelines for effectively changing the Ag thin wire surface through providing predetermined current density was proposed, which were expected to be useful for improving the electrical reliability and lifetime of printed Ag thin wires in flexible electronic devices.

Keywords

• flexible electronics
• electromigration
• thin films
• joule heating
• numerical simulation