Interfacial investigation and mechanical properties of glass-Al-glass anodic bonding process

Glass-Al-glass with Al as common anode was successfully bonded together through the anodic bonding process. SEM and EDS were conducted to investigate the interfacial structure of the glass-Al-glass samples. Special attention was given to the element distribution after the bonding process. The element profile of the transitional layer was investigated by glow discharge optical emission microscopy. The results showed that ion migration played an important role during the anodic bonding process, Na+ would precipitate from the back of the glass, and a Na+ depletion region formed at the bonding interface. At the same time, O2− diffused into the bonding interface and reacted with the Al, which resulted in a successful bonding process. Furthermore, Al migrated into the glass, which could enhance the bonding process. The peak current of the glass-Al-glass bonding was two times larger than that of the Al-glass bonding, which meant that the glass-Al-glass bonding process could be considered equivalent to two individual Al-glass bonding processes. Tensile strength tests showed that the glass was fractured, and the fractures propagated into the bonding interface, which indicated a reliable bonding process.