Copper based leadframe sheets were immersed in two kinds of hot alkaline solutions to form brown-oxide or blackoxide layer on the surface. The oxide-coated leadframe sheets were molded with epoxy molding compound (EMC). After post mold curing, the oxide-coated EMC-leadframe joints were machined to form sandwiched double-cantilever beam (SDCB) specimens. The SDCB specimens were used to measure the fracture toughness of the EMC/leadframe interfaces under quasi-Mode I loading conditions. After fracture toughness testing, the fracture surface were analyzed by various equipment to investigate failure path. An adhesion model was suggested to explain the failure path formation. The adhesion model is based on the strengthening mechanism of fiber-reinforced composite. The present paper deals with the introduction of the adhesion model. The explanation of the failure path with the proposed adhesion model was introduced in the companion paper.