IP Library Granted Patent US 9,156,679
Granted Patent B1
US 9,156,679 · App. 14/326,406 · Granted Oct 13, 2015

Method and device using silicon substrate to glass substrate anodic bonding

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,156,679
App. No.
14/326,406
Granted
Oct 13, 2015
Kind
B1
Abstract

A bonding technology is disclosed that can form an anodic, conductive bond between two optically transparent substrates. The anodic bond may be accompanied by a Second bond, for example a metal alloy, solder, eutectic and polymer bond. The two bonds may be used for the same or a different purpose, and may be selected for the following attributes: hermeticity, electrical conductivity, low RF loss, high adhesive strength, leak resistance, thermal conductivity. The attributes for each bonding technology may be the same, or they may be different.

Claims (23)

1. A substrate pair assembly, comprising: a first anodic bond and a second bond which together adhere a silicon wafer to an optically transparent substrate wafer, wherein the second bond is disposed laterally adjacent to the first anodic bond, and wherein the first anodic bond further includes: a raised feature on at least one of the silicon substrate and the optically transparent substrate wherein the raised feature is raised relative to another adjacent surface; a metal oxide, wherein the metal oxide is the covalently bonded oxidation product of a metal material and the optically transparent substrate, and is disposed between the raised feature and at least one of the silicon substrate and the optically transparent substrate.

2. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the metal oxide is up to about 10 nm thick, and the metal material is at least about 50 nm thick.

3. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the optically transparent substrate comprises ion-rich glass having a resistivity of less than about 8 ohm-cm.

4. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the metal material comprises at least one of titanium (Ti), chrome (Cr), silicon (Si), cobalt (Co), aluminum (Al) and zirconium (Zr).

5. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a microfabricated device, wherein the raised feature defines a perimeter of a hermetically sealed device cavity formed between the silicon substrate and the optically transparent substrate, with the microfabricated device disposed within the hermetically sealed device cavity.

6. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the raised feature comprises at least one of material from the optically transparent substrate, material from the semiconductor substrate, and a metal layer deposited on at least one of the optically transparent substrate, the semiconductor substrate.

7. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first anodic bond provides an attribute selected from the group of hermeticity, electrical conductivity, low RF loss, high adhesive strength, leak resistance, thermal conductivity, and the second bond provides a second, different attribute chosen from the same group.

8. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second bond is laterally separated from the first anodic bond by a distance of about 100 microns or more.

9. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second bond comprises one of a polymer, a thermocompression, a solder, a metal alloy and a eutectic bond.

10. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second bond comprises a thermocompression bond using at least one of gold (Au), silver (Ag), or platinum (Pt), and indium (In).

11. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second bond comprises a multilayer stack, with each layer having thicknesses between about 1 and about 10 microns.

12. The substrate pair assembly of claim 11 , wherein the multilayer stack includes at least one pair of silicon/gold, silicon\molybdenum, and silicon\silver layers.

13. The substrate pair assembly of claim 11 , wherein the multilayer stack is a low temperature solder bond, and includes at least one of indium\gold, indium\silver, gold-tin/gold-copper-silver, indium\copper, antimony-lead/gold-copper-silver alloys.

14. The substrate pair assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a third bond, wherein the third bond is laterally separated from the second bond by a distance of about 100 microns or more.

15. The substrate pair assembly of claim 14 , wherein the third bond is at least one of a polymer, thermocompression, metal alloy, eutectic, a solder, a metal alloy and a eutectic bond.

16. The substrate pair assembly of claim 14 , wherein the third bond comprises a multilayer stack.

17. The substrate pair assembly of claim 16 , wherein the multilayer stack includes at least one pair of silicon/gold, silicon\molybdenum, and silicon\silver layers.

18. The substrate pair assembly of claim 16 , wherein the multilayer stack is a low temperature solder bond, and includes at least one of indium\gold, indium\silver, gold-tin/gold-copper-silver, indium\copper, antimony-lead/gold-copper-silver alloys.

19. A substrate pair assembly, comprising: a first anodic bond and a second bond which together join a silicon wafer to an optically transparent substrate wafer, wherein the second bond is disposed laterally adjacent to the first anodic bond, and wherein the first anodic bond further includes: a raised feature on at least one of the silicon substrate and the optically transparent substrate wherein the raised feature is raised relative to another adjacent surface; a metal oxide, wherein the metal oxide is the covalently bonded oxidation product of a metal material and the optically transparent substrate, and is disposed between the raised feature and at least one of the silicon substrate and the optically transparent substrate, wherein the microfabricated device comprises at least one of an emitter, detector, an attenuator and reflector of electromagnetic radiation.

20. The substrate pair assembly of claim 19 , wherein the device absorbs, reflects, transmits, focuses, emits or attenuates radiation which passes through at least the optically transparent substrate.

21. A method for forming a substrate pair assembly, comprising: providing a silicon substrate and an optically transparent substrate; forming a raised feature on at least one of the silicon substrate and the optically transparent substrate; forming a first layer of a metal oxide material between the raised feature and at least one of the silicon substrate and the optically transparent substrate, wherein the metal oxide is the covalently bonded oxidation product of a metal material and the optically transparent substrate to form a first anodic bond; and forming a second bond which together with the first anodic bond joins the silicon wafer to the optically transparent wafer, wherein the second bond is disposed laterally adjacent to the first anodic bond.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising: applying at least one of heat, voltage and pressure to the substrate pair assemble to form the first anodic bond and the second bond.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the at least one of heat, voltage and pressure is applied in at least two steps.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 12, 2025
From: ST. CLOUD CAPITAL PARTNERS IV SBIC, L.P.
To: ATOMICA CORP.
Reel/Frame 070485/0737 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 23, 2023
From: ATOMICA CORP.
To: ST. CLOUD CAPITAL PARTNERS IV SBIC, L.P.
Reel/Frame 062841/0341 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE CITY OF THE ASSIGNEE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 062253 FRAME 0077. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME. Recorded Jan 9, 2023
From: INNOVATIVE MICRO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: ATOMICA CORP.
Reel/Frame 062320/0509 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 30, 2022
From: INNOVATIVE MICRO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: ATOMICA CORP.
Reel/Frame 062253/0077 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 30, 2019
From: PACIFIC WESTERN BANK
To: INNOVATIVE MICRO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 048195/0441 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 15, 2018
From: AGILITY CAPITAL II, LLC
To: INNOVATIVE MICRO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 047237/0141 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2017
From: INNOVATIVE MICRO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: PACIFIC WESTERN BANK
Reel/Frame 044553/0257 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2017
From: INNOVATIVE MICRO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: AGILITY CAPITAL II, LLC
Reel/Frame 044635/0492 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2014
From: ZEYEN, BENEDIKT; SUMMERS, JEFFERY F
To: INNOVATIVE MICRO TECHNOLOGY
Reel/Frame 033334/0735 →