ABSTRACT
Electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs) are composites of polymeric matrices and electrically conductive fillers. Polymeric matrices have excellent dielectric properties and thus are electrical insulators. The conductive filler provides the electrical properties and the polymeric matrix provides mechanical properties. Therefore, electrical and mechanical properties are provided by different components, which is different from metallic solders that provide both the electrical and mechanical properties. ECAs have been available for some time. Metal-filled thermoset polymers were first patented as electrically conductive adhesives in the 1950s [1-3]. Recently, ECA materials have been identified as one of the major alternatives for lead-containing solders for microelectronic packaging applications. There are two types of conductive adhesives: isotropically conductive adhesives (ICAs) and anisotropically conductive adhesives/films (ACAs/ACFs).
