Void-free Au-Sn eutectic bonding of GaAs dice and its characterization using scanning acoustic microscopy

A new technique to produce perfect bonding between GaAs dice and alumina substrates is reported. Utilizing this technique, void-free bondings have been achieved consistently. The quality of the bonded devices is confirmed by a Scanning Acoustic Microscope (SAM) having a spatial resolution of 25 µm. Thermal cycling between -25° C and 125° C, and thermal shock between -196° C and 135° C, have been used to assess the reliability of the specimens. The SAM was used to study the variation of the bonds in the tests. After the tests, the bonds show no sign of degradation and the GaAs dice did not crack. Shear test has also been performed. All the well bonded specimens passed the shear test. The shear strength correlated very well with the SAM images of the specimens taken before the test.