Development of reliable low temperature wafer level hermetic bonding using composite seal joint

A reliable composite metal seal comprising both intermetallic compounds (IMC) and solder joints, which are formed by transient liquid phase bonding and soldering respectively, is proposed and demonstrated in wafer level bonding experiments. Hermetic sealing is demonstrated on 8-in, wafers using low volume Cu/Sn materials at process temperatures as low as 280 degrees C. It is shown that the composite seal is stable when subjected to temperatures of 250 degrees C, and that it provides better hermeticity and reliability than an IMC seal alone. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.