Electrical Reliability of a Film-Type Connection during Bending

With the escalating demands for downsizing and functionalizing mobile electronics, flexible electronics have become an important aspect of future technologies. To address limitations concerning junction deformation, we developed a new connection method using a film-type connector that is less than 0.1 mm thick. The film-type connector is composed of an organic film substrate, a UV-curable adhesive that deforms elastically under pressure, and electrodes that are arranged on the adhesive. The film-type connection relies on a plate-to-plate contact, which ensures a sufficient contact area. The electrical reliability of the film-type connection was investigated based on changes in the resistance during bending at curvature radii of 70, 50, 25, 10, 5, and 2.5 mm. The connection was bent 1000 times to investigate the reproducibility of the connector’s bending properties. The tests showed that no disconnections occurred due to bending in the vertical direction of the electrode, but disconnections were observed due to bending in the parallel direction at curvature radii of 10, 5, and 2.5 mm. In addition, the maximum average change in resistance was less than 70 milliohms unless a disconnection was generated. These results support the application of the new film-type connection in future flexible devices.