Moisture-assisted subcritical debonding of a polymer/metal interface

Subcritical debonding of polymer/metal interfaces has important implications for the reliability of a range of modern device technologies containing thin layered structures, although the physics of the underlying crack-growth mechanisms are not well understood. This study investigates the effect of moisture on subcritical debonding at the interface between a silica-filled epoxy resin and a copper substrate electroplated with a nickel layer. Subcritical debond-growth rates in the range of 10(-5) to 10(-11) m/s were characterized as a function of the applied strain energy release rate, G(A). Particular attention was given to the relationship between the debond tip strain energy release rate, G(tip), and the measured debond growth rates. The kinetics of interfacial debond growth were rationalized in terms of a stress-dependent chemical reaction and mass transport of the environmental species to the debond tip. The order of the chemical reaction with respect to water was determined and found to be surprisingly high (nsimilar to5). In the transport-controlled region, the rate of debond growth was found to increase linearly with the partial pressure of water vapor. The effects of salient interface parameters including the peak stress in a cohesive zone used to model the fracture mechanism were explored. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.