Corrosion reliability study of indium tin oxide (ITO) for chip-on-glass (COG)

To enhance the understanding of possible root cause and the failure mechanism that would lead to the ITO corrosion, the paper concentrates on discussing the effect of scratching on both the glass and ITO surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is utilised to analyze the sample surface and the chemical state of the degraded part of samples. Results show that when ITO is subjected to harsh environment together with the presence of the electric field, scratching acts as a tunnel for easy permeation of moisture and contaminants. The presence of Cl^- reacts with moisture and forms HCl that etch the ITO. Once corroded, colouration and structural change of the ITO tracks is observed.