Stable ^(85)Rb micro vapour cells:fabrication based on anodic bonding and application in chip-scale atomic clocks

We describe the microfabrication of ^85Rb vapour cells using a glass-silicon anodic bonding technique and in situ chemical reaction between rubidium chloride and barium azide to produce Rb. Under controlled conditions, the pure metallic Rb drops and buffer gases were obtained in the cells with a few mm^3 internal volumes during the cell sealing process. At an ambient temperature of 90 ℃ the optical absorption resonance of ^85Rb D1 transition with proper broadening and the corresponding coherent population trapping （CPT） resonance, with a signal contrast of 1.5% and linewidth of about 1.7 kHz, have been detected. The sealing quality and the stability of the cells have also been demonstrated experimentally by using the helium leaking detection and the after-9-month optoelectronics measurement which shows a similar CPT signal as its original status. In addition, the physics package of chip-scale atomic clock （CSAC） based on the cell was realized. The measured frequency stability of the physics package can reach to 2.1 × 10^-10 at one second when the cell was heated to 100 ℃ which proved that the cell has the quality to be used in portable and battery-operated devices.

Comparison in interfacial phenomena in electric-field assisted anodic bonding of Kovar-glass and Kovar/Al film-glass

Anodic bonding of Kovar-glass and Kovar/Al film-glass were performed at temperatures of 513 K to 663 K under the static electric voltage of 500 V, in order to compare the interfacial phenomena in electric-field assisted anodic bonding of Kovar-glass and Al-glass . SEM and EPMA were used to observe and analyzed the interfacial region. The growth rate of the alkali ions depletion layers in Kovar/Al-glass joint was slower than that in Kovar-glass joint. But the activation energies for the growth of depletion layers are about the same for both kinds of joint.

Interfacial phenomena in electric field-assisted anodic bonding of Kovar/Al film-glass

Anodic bonding of glass to Kovar alloy coated with Al film (Glass Al film/Kovar) was performed in the temperature range of 513 ～ 713?K under the static electric voltage of 500?V in order to investigate the interfacial phenomena of Al glass joint. The results reveal that Na and K ions within the glass are displaced by the applied field from the anode side surface of the glass to form depletion layers of them. The K ion depletion layer is narrow and followed by a K pile up layer, and both the two layers are formed within the Na depletion layer. The width of the Na and K depletion layers is increased with increasing bonding temperature and time. The activation energies for the growth of both depletion layers were close to that for Na diffusion in the glass. TEM observations reveal that Al film coated at the surface of Kovar alloy is oxidized to amorphous Al 2O 3 containing a few of Fe, Ni and Co by oxygen ions from the glass drifted by high electric field during bonding. The amount of Fe ions diffusing into the glass adjacent to the anode is significantly low due to the presence of Al film between Kovar alloy and the glass. As a result, the amorphous reaction layer of Fe Si O in the glass near the interface is avoided which is formed in Kovar glass joints.

Ultra-low temperature anodic bonding of silicon and glass based on nano-gap dielectric barrier discharge

The article improves the process of dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)activated anode bonding.The treated surface was characterized by the hydrophilic surface test.The results showed that the hydrophilic angle was significantly reduced under nano-gap conditions and the optimal discharge voltage was 2 kV.Then,the anodic bonding and dielectric barrier discharge activated bonding were performed in comparison experiments,and the bonding strength was characterized by tensile failure test.The results showed that the bonding strength was higher under the nano-gap dielectric barrier discharge.This process completed 110°C ultra-low temperature anodic bonding and the bonding strength reached 2 MPa.Finally,the mechanism of promoting bonding after activation is also discussed.

Micro thermal shear stress sensor based on vacuum anodic bonding and bulk-micromachining

This paper describes a micro thermal shear stress sensor with a cavity underneath, based on vacuum anodic bonding and bulk micromachined technology. A Ti/Pt alloy strip, 2μm×100μm, is deposited on the top of a thin silicon nitride diaphragm and functioned as the thermal sensor element. By using vacuum anodic bonding and bulk-si anisotropic wet etching process instead of the sacrificial-layer technique, a cavity, functioned as the adiabatic vacuum chamber, 200μm×200μm×400μm, is placed between the silicon nitride diaphragm and glass （Corning 7740）. This method totally avoid adhesion problem which is a major issue of the sacrificial-layer technique.

Anodic bonding using a hybrid electrode with a two-step bonding process

A two-step bonding process using a novel hybrid electrode is presented.The effects of different electrodes on bonding time,bond strength and the bonded interface are analyzed.The anodic bonding is studied using a domestic bonding system,which carries out a detailed analysis of the integrity of the bonded interface and the bond strength measurement.With the aid of the hybrid electrode,a bubble-free anodic bonding process could be accomplished within 15-20 min,with a shear strength in excess of 10 MPa.These results show that the proposed method has a high degree of application value,including in most wafer-level MEMS packaging.

Synthesis and properties of ionic conduction polymer for anodic bonding

In this study,powders of polyethylene oxide（PEO） and lithium perchlorate（Li Cl O4） were used as the raw materials for producing the ionic conduction polymer PEO–Li Cl O4 with different complex-ratios and used for anodic bonding through high energy ball milling method,and meanwhile,X-ray diffraction,differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）,ultraviolet absorption spectrum test analysis,and other relevant methods were adopted to research the complexation mechanism of PEO and Li Cl O4 and the impact of the ionic conduction polymer with different complex-ratios on the anodic bonding process under the action of the strong static electric field.The research results showed that the crystallization of PEO could be effectively obstructed with increased addition of Li Cl O4,thus increasing the content of PEO–Li Cl O4 in amorphous area and continuously improving the complexation degree and the room-temperature conductivity thereof,and that the higher room-temperature conductivity enabled PEO–Li Cl O4 to better bond with metallic aluminum and have better bonding quality.As the new encapsulating material,such research results will promote the application of new polymer functional materials in micro-electromechanical system（MEMS） components.

JOINING MECHANISMS OF β"-Al_2O_3 CERAMIC AND PYREX GLASS TO Al MATRIX COMPOSITE

The bonding of β″-Al2O3 and pyrex glass to A1 matrix composites by anodic bonding process is achieved. The microstructure of the bonded interface and the joining mechanisms are analyzed with scanning electron microscope （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer （EDX）. It is observed that the bonding region across the interface consists of the metal layer, oxide transitional layer and the ceramic layer, with the transitional layer composed of surface region and sub-surface region. The bonding process can mainly be categorized into anodic bonding process and solid state diffusing process. The pile-up of the ions and its drift in the interface area are the main reasons for anode oxidation and joining of the interface. The temperature, voltage and the drift ions in the ceramic or glass during the bonding process are the essential conditions to solid state diffusing and oxide bonding at the interface. The voltages, temperature, pressure as well as the surface state are the main factors that influence the anodic bonding.

A MICROFABRICATED METAL GRATING OSCILLATOR FOR ELECTRIC FIELD DETECTION

This letter proposes a novel design of a Micro Electro Mechanical System （MEMS） device featuring a metal grating vibratory mierostructure driven by electrostatic force to sense the spatial electric field. Due to the advantages in slide-film damping and large vibration amplitude, such a device makes atmospheric packaging a low-cost option for practical manufacture. In this letter, we present the operating principles and specifications, the design structure, as well as the finite element simulation. Computational analysis shows that our design obtains good results in device parameters setting, while its simplicity and low-cost features make it an attractive solution for applications.