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Structure of vapor-phase deposited Al-Ge thin films and Al-Ge intermediate layer bonding of Al-based microchannel structures

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Abstract

Al-based high-aspect-ratio microscale structures (HARMS) are basic building blocks for all-Al microdevices. Bonding of Al-based HARMS is essential for device assembly. In this paper, bonding of Al-based HARMS to flat Al plates using Al-Ge thin film intermediate layers is investigated. The structure of sputter codeposited Al-Ge thin films was studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy as a function of the average film composition. The structure of the interface region between Al-based HARMS bonded to flat Al plates is studied by combining focused ion beam sectioning and scanning electron microscopy. An extended bonding interface region, ∼100 μm in width, is observed and suggested to result from liquidus/solidus reactions as well as diffusion of Ge in solid Al at the bonding temperature of 500 °C. The extended interface region is suggested to be beneficial to Al-Al bonding via Al-Ge intermediate layers.

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Acknowledgment

F. Mei and W.J. Meng gratefully acknowledge partial project support from the National Science Foundation (Grant CMMI-0556100) and Louisiana Board of Regents [Contract LEQSF(2008-10)-RD-B-02]. The FIB work was conducted at the Electron Microscopy Center of Argonne National Laboratory and sponsored by the Department of Energy under the national user program. Discussions with Prof. G.Y. Li of Shanghai Jiao Tung University of China are acknowledged with thanks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA

    Fanghua Mei & W.J. Meng

  2. Electron Microscopy Center and Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, 60439

    J. Hiller & D.J. Miller

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  1. Fanghua Mei
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  2. W.J. Meng
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  3. J. Hiller
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Correspondence to W.J. Meng.

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Mei, F., Meng, W., Hiller, J. et al. Structure of vapor-phase deposited Al-Ge thin films and Al-Ge intermediate layer bonding of Al-based microchannel structures. Journal of Materials Research 24, 544–555 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2009.0055

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2009.0055

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