Development of a fast atom beam gun for surface-activated bonding

Abstract Surface-activated bonding (SAB), also called room-temperature bonding, is used in three-dimensional integration technology for semiconductor devices. An Ar fast atom beam (FAB) is used for SAB. However, conventional FAB guns must be replaced after hundreds of minutes of irradiation because carbon abrasion powders are generated by Ar ions sputtering in the gun. Therefore, this study develops a novel FAB gun with improved lifetime. The proposed FAB gun applies magnetic fields to guide Ar ions to reduce sputtering in the gun and improve irradiation efficiency. The proposed FAB gun indicates the possibility of improving gun lifetime.