Nanosecond Laser Irradiation for Interface Bonding Characterization

In this study, we propose a novel method to quantify the interfacial water trapped at the direct bonding interface. The concept is to intentionally create bonding defects with controlled size and shape, and use them as sensors for the gases generated through the oxidation of a material (in our case, Silicon) by water adsorbed on the surfaces prior to bonding. The evolution of the sensor sizes provides valuable insights into the amount of gas they have trapped, allowing us to analyze the imbibition effect. Analyzing sensors arrays also enables us to quantify the amount of water that was initially present at the bonding interface. Moreover, it opens up the possibility of proposing a novel bonding energy measurement method.