Wafer-Scale Room-Temperature Bonding of Smooth Au/Ti-Based Getter Layer for Vacuum Packaging

This study demonstrates room-temperature bonding using a getter layer for the vacuum packaging of microsystems. A thick Ti layer covered with an Au layer is utilized as a getter layer because it can absorb gas molecules in the package. Additionally, smooth Au surfaces can form direct bonds for hermetic sealing at room temperature. Direct bonding using a getter layer can simplify the vacuum packaging process; however, typical getter layers are rough in bonding formation. This study demonstrates two fabrication techniques for smooth getter layers. In the first approach, the Au/Ti layer is bonded to an Au layer on a smooth SiO₂ template, and the Au/SiO₂ interface is mechanically exfoliated. Although the root-mean-square roughness was reduced from 2.00 to 0.98 nm, the surface was still extremely rough for direct bonding. In the second approach, an Au/Ti/Au multilayer on a smooth SiO₂ template is bonded with a packaging substrate, and the Au/SiO₂ interface is exfoliated. The transferred Au/Ti/Au getter layer has a smooth surface with the root-mean-square roughness of 0.54 nm and could form wafer-scale direct bonding at room temperature. We believe that the second approach would allow a simple packaging process using direct bonding of the getter layer.