New solid-state die-attach method using silver foil bonded on aluminum substrate by eutectic reaction

The high thermal conductivity, lightweight, and low cost of aluminum (Al) make it a promising substrate material for high power electronic and photonic packages and housings. It is particularly attractive for aerospace and space applications due to its lightweight. A main challenge for these applications is poor bondability. The native aluminum oxide (Al2O3) prevents aluminum from bonding by using popular die-attach materials such as solders. Zincating process is often needed to dissolve the Al2O3 layer and deposit a protection zinc layer which provides a basis for subsequent metallization or soldering process. However, the zincating and metallization processes could increase the processing cost and bring more reliability issues. In this research, a novel Ag foil bonding technique has been developed to bond Ag foils directly to Al substrates to produce Ag-cladded Al substrates. Two Ag-Al bonding processes are developed: solid-state and eutectic. Subsequently, Si chips are bonded to the Ag-cladded Al substrates using solid-state process at 300 °C without any additional die-attach material. For the Ag-Al bonding processes, no surface treatment is applied to Al substrates to remove the native Al2O3 layer. In the Ag-Al soli-state bonding process, Ag and Al atoms inter-diffused through the thin Al2O3 to react and form Ag2Al and Ag3Al compounds. In the Ag-Al eutectic bonding process, Ag2Al+(Al) eutectic structure forms at the Ag/Al interface without Ag3Al compound formation. The native Al2O3 layer, a potential fracture path, is broken into pieces during eutectic reaction and possibly dispersed into the eutectic structure. Shear test results of Si/Ag/Al joint samples far exceed the military criterion (MIL-STD-883H method 2019.8). The Si/Ag/Al structures break either along the Ag/Al interface or within the Si chip. With the advantages of high thermal conductivity, high reliability, lightweight, and process simplicity, the Ag-cladded Al structures should be highly valuable for applications in packages and housings where lightweight and high heat-conducting are necessary. •A new Ag foil bonding technique has been developed to bond Ag foil directly to Al.•Two Ag-Al bonding processes are developed: solid-state and eutectic reaction.•The breaking force of the Si/Ag/Al joint samples far exceed the military criterion.•The fracture mechanisms of the Ag-Al solid-state/eutectic bondings are studied.•The Ag-Al eutectic bonding exhibits a mixed fracture mode with ductile feat