Laser-assisted two-step glass wafer metallization: An experimental procedure to improve compatibility between glass and metallic films
Abstract
We report a simple and efficient two-step experimental procedure of glass metallization using laser micro-structuring at ambient conditions. An adhesive pattern was created on the glass substrate using a laser, which imposes mechanical interlocking.
An adhesive Cu layer was deposited on the glass substrate by magnetron sputtering and then electroplated with a functional Cu layer. Due to the unique surface structure created on the glass using laser, we achieved a thick layer of Cu metal film with high adhesion strength, well-defined grains and grain boundaries, and low surface roughness.
The total thickness of the grown film was 11.4 mu m, with an average surface roughness of 1.2 mu m. The magnetron-sputtered coating did not show delamination from the glass sub-strate at a critical load of 60 N.
The proposed method of glass metallization will lead to the realization of glass-based circuit materials that can be used in high-frequency electronic devices. Also, this procedure will be an alternative to chemical-based copper plating, which involves multiple processing steps and high-cost chemicals.