Passivated thin film and method of producing same
View Patent ↗A method of producing a passivated thin film material is disclosed wherein an insulating thin film layer ( 10 ), having pinholes ( 12 ) therein, is positioned upon an underlying electrically conductive substrate ( 11 ). The thin film layer is then electroplated so that the pinholes are filled with a reactive metal. The thin film layer and substrate are then immersed within a silicon doped tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution. Excess silica within the solution precipitates onto the top surfaces of the aluminum plugs ( 13 ) to form an electrically insulative cap which electrically insulates the top of the aluminum plug. As an alternative, the previously described metal plugs may be anodized so that at least a portion thereof becomes an oxidized metal which is electrically insulative.
1. A method of passivating a thin film layer comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a thin film layer having pinholes therein;
(b) positioning an electrically-conductive substrate adjacent one surface of the thin film layer;
(c) filling the thin film layer pinholes with an electrically-conductive filling material; and
(d) converting at least a portion of said electrically-conductive filling material to an electrically-insulative cap over the filled pinholes.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrically-conductive filling material is a metal.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the metal, electrically-conductive filling material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, chromium, zinc, titanium and silicon.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein in step (c) the pinholes are filled with a metal, electrically-conductive filling material by electroplating the thin film layer.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein in step (d) the electrically-insulative cap is a silicon dioxide, electrically-insulative cap formed by immersing the thin film layer in a silicon-doped tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution.
6. A method of passivating a thin film layer comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a thin film layer having pinholes therein;
(b) positioning an electrically-conductive substrate adjacent one surface of the thin film layer;
(c) filling the thin-film-layer pinholes with an electrically-conductive, metal filling material; and
(d) anodizing at least a portion of the metal filling material within the pinholes to form a metal oxide.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the electrically-conductive, metal filling material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, titanium, nickel, zinc, chrome, or silicon.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein step (c) the pinholes are filled with an electrically-conductive, metal filling material by electroplating the thin film layer.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the electrically-conductive, metal filling material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, titanium, nickel, zinc, chrome, or silicon.