Bonding silicon-on-insulator to glass wafers for integrated bio-electronic circuits

We report a method for bonding silicon-on-insulator wafers onto glass wafers. After pre-cleaning the wafers by an ozone and ultraviolet exposure, followed by mega-sonic water rinse, the SOI wafers are bonded to glass wafers in a vacuum chamber. This is performed at a temperature of 400 degreesC under an applied voltage of 700 V. The interface between the glass and SOI wafer is tested mechanically and inspected by electron beam microscopy. Furthermore, we demonstrate removal of the silicon bulk layer after wafer bonding. The quality of the single crystalline Si thin film on the glass wafers has been verified by four-circle x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. This process will allow us the integration of thin-film electronics in biological sensor applications. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.