Development of ultra-low impedance through-wafer micro-vias

Concurrent with our microcalorimeter array fabrication for Constellation-X technology development, we are developing ultra-low impedance Through-Wafer Micro-Vias (TWMV) as electrical interconnects for superconducting circuits. The TWMV will enable the electrical contacts of each detector to be routed to contacts on the backside of the array. There, they can be bump-bonded to a wiring fan-out board which interfaces with the front-end Superconducting Quantum Interference Device readout. We are concentrating our developmental efforts on ultra-low impedance copper and superconducting aluminum TWMV in 300-400 micron thick silicon wafers. For both schemes, a periodic pulse-reverse electroplating process is used to fill or coat micron-scale through-wafer holes of aspect ratios up to 20. Here we discuss the design, fabrication process, and recent electro-mechanical test results of Al and Cu TWMV at room and cryogenic temperatures. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.