THIN-FILM BONDING USING ION-BEAM TECHNIQUES - A REVIEW

Ion beam technologies provide a variety of well-proven means for creat ing or enhancing strong, stable, direct adhesion of thin films deposit ed on substrates. Interface chemical bonding and structure are critica l. Yet success with such approaches has been reported for a great vari ety of systems that have little or no bulk chemical affinity, includin g metals, polymers, ceramics, and semiconductors. This review paper de scribes the established techniques of reactive and nonreactive ion bea m sputtering, ion-beam-assisted deposition, ion implantation, and ion beam stitching. It then presents representative examples of adhesion e nhancement selected from the current literature, in order to clarify t he roles of interface chemistry, morphology, contaminants, and stabili ty. The review offers a basis upon which interface tailoring for adhes ion may be planned in order to optimize both performance and fabricati on of specific materials systems.