Mechanical Characterization of Anodic Bonding Using Chevron Microchannel

As power demands for microelectronic devices continue to rise, new techniques for heat dissipation require innovative fabrication solutions such as on-chip cooling methods. The mechanical reliability of these high-powered, high-pressure systems is particularly sensitive to the interfacial strengths within the microelectronic architectures. In research at Georgia Tech, on-chip cooling methodologies involve cooling of devices with high-pressure coolant which is pumped through a microchannel. The microchannels are etched directly into a silicon wafer and then capped by a second wafer of pyrex glass. When fluid flows through the system, internal pressures can exceed 2000 kPa in certain locations of the microchannel. Overall system failure due to cracking of the brittle materials is of particular interest given the potential for catastrophic crack propagation. Using a combination of experiments and modeling, a methodology for predicting interfacial and cohesive strength of the silicon-glass bonded microchannel system has been developed. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the results of the experimental test technique and to extract appropriate silicon-glass interfacial test data in conjunction with numerical modeling of the fracture conditions.