Silver diffusion bonding and layer transfer of lithium niobate to silicon

A diffusion bonding method has been developed that enables layer transfer of single crystal lithium niobate thin films to silicon substrates. A silver film was deposited onto both the silicon and lithium niobate surfaces prior to bonding, and upon heating, a diffusion bond was formed. Transmission electron microscopy confirms the interface evolution via diffusion bonding which combines interfacial diffusion, power law creep, and growth of (111) silver grains to replace the as-bonded interface by a single polycrystalline silver film. The transferred film composition was the same as bulk lithium niobate. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.