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

Ion beam technologies provide a variety of well-proven means for creating or enhancing strong, stable, direct adhesion of thin films deposited on substrates. Interface chemical bonding and structure are critical. Yet success with such approaches has been reported for a great variety of systems that have little or no bulk chemical affinity, including metals, polymers, ceramics, and semiconductors. This review paper describes the established techniques of reactive and nonreactive ion beam sputtering, ion-beam-assisted deposition, ion implantation, and ion beam stitching. It then presents representative examples of adhesion enhancement selected from the current literature, in order to clarify the roles of interface chemistry, morphology, contaminants, and stability. The review offers a basis upon which interface tailoring for adhesion may be planned in order to optimize both performance and fabrication of specific materials systems.