Localized Parylene-C bonding with reactive multilayer foils

Abstract

This paper describes a novel bonding technique using reactive multilayer Ni/Al foils as local heat sources to bond Parylene-C layers to another Parylene-C coating on a silicon wafer. Exothermic reactions in Ni/Al reactive multilayer foils were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry. XRD measurements showed that the dominant product after exothermic reaction was ordered B2 AlNi compound. The heat of reaction was calculated to be −57.9 kJ mol−1. A numerical model was developed to predict the temperature evolution in the parylene layers and silicon wafers during the bonding process. The simulation results revealed that localized heating occurred during the reactive foil joining process. Our experimental observation showed that the parylene layer was torn when the bond was forcefully broken, indicating a strong bond was achieved. Moreover, leakage test in isopropanol alcohol showed that reactive foil bonds can withstand liquid exposure. This study demonstrated the feasibility of reactive foil joining for broad applications in bio-microelectromechanical systems and microfluidic systems.