Hydrothermal stability of Cr/polyimide interfaces

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Abstract
The hydrothermal stability of both Cr/polyimide and C75Cr2/polyimide interfaces has been studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and peel testing. It was found that RF sputter treatment of the polyimide surface prior to metal deposition leads to an enhancement of adhesion through chemical bonding of the metal with polyimide. Owing to the enhanced chemical bonding at the interface, failure always occurs cohesively in the polyimide. The RF sputter treatment of the polyimide surface also simultaneously modifies the polyimide underneath the surface. The adhesion strength of the Cr/polyimide interface is degraded significantly upon exposure to high temperature and high humidity (85°C/81% relative humidity, T/H) environment. It is suggested that this degradation results from the hydrolysis of polyimide. The hydrolysis is facilitated by the presence of unstable modified polyimide near the interface. This degradation of adhesion strength can be minimized by converting the unstable modified polyimide to a stable state by reheating the Cr/polyimide interface at 400°C for 40 min before exposure to the T/H environment.

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