Electrically conductive adhesives, thermally conductive adhesives and UV adhesives in data extraction forensics.

Recent publications underline the interest of using polymers in microelectronics (Li and Wong, 2006a; Cui et al., 2014). Polymers are the ideal interconnect alternative to solder materials containing lead. Electrically Conductive Adhesives [ECAs] (Li and Wong, 2006b), Thermally Conductive Adhesives (TCAs) (Felba et al., 2011) and UV Adhesives (UVAs) (Asif et al., 2005) mainly consist of a polymeric resin (epoxy, silicon, polyurethane or polyimide) that provides physical and mechanical properties such as adhesion, mechanical strength while containing metal fillers (silver, gold, nickel or copper) that conduct electricity (Luo et al., 2016). Currently it is possible to find really cheap polymeric resin. Using these resins for digital forensic purposes is the focus of this paper, that we demonstrate in a hardware reverse engineering prototype case study.