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At least 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Breaking C-C Bonds via Electrochemically Mediated Hydrogen Atom Transfer Reactions

Cleaving inert SP3-SP3 carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds selectively remains a major challenge in organic chemistry and a main bottleneck in the chemical upcycling of recalcitrant polyolefin waste. Here, we present an electrochemical strategy using redox mediators to activate and break C-C bonds at room temperature and ambient pressure. Specifically, we use N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as a redox mediator that undergoes electrochemical oxidation to form the phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) radical to initiate hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reactions with benzylic C-H bonds. The resulting benzylic carbon radical is readily captured by molecular oxygen to form a peroxy radical that decomposes into oxygenated C-C bond-scission fragments. This indirect, mediated approach for Csp3-Csp3 bond cleavage reduces the oxidation potential by > 1.2 V compared to the direct oxidation of the substrate, thereby eliminating deleterious side reactions, such as solvent oxidation, that may occur at high potentials. Studies with a bibenzyl model compound revealed a bifurcated reaction pathway following the initial HAT step. At a bibenzyl conversion of 61.0%, the C-C bond cleavage pathway generates benzaldehyde and benzoic acid products at 38.4% selectivity, and the C-H bond oxygenation pathway leads to 1,2-diphenylethanone and benzil products at 39.2% selectivity. Changes in reaction selectivity were investigated with various model compounds, including bibenzyl, 1,3-diphe-nylpropane, 1,4-diphenylbutane, and their derivatives. Product selectivity is correlated with the C-C bond strength of the reactant, with weaker C-C bonds favoring the C-C bond cleavage pathway. We also evaluated the mediated oxidation of oligo-meric styrene (Mn= 510 Da, OS510) which were converted into oxygenated products. Lastly, proof-of-concept depolymeriza-tion of polystyrene (PS, ~10,000 Da) into oxygenated monomers, dimers, and oligomers was demonstrated using NHPI-mediated oxidation.

benzoic acid↗
DOE OSTI2014

Interface Development in Cu-Based Structures Transient Liquid Phase (TLP) Bonded with Thin Al Foil Intermediate Layers

Proper bonding and assembly techniques are essential for fabrication of functional metal-based microdevices. Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding is a promising technique for making enclosed metallic microchannel devices. In this paper, we report results of TLP bonding of Cu-based structures at temperatures between 550ºC and 610ºC with thin elemental Al foils as intermediate boding layers. In-situ X-ray diffraction was utilized to examine the structure of Cu/Al interface in real time, resulting in a proposed sequence of structural evolution of the Cu/Al/Cu TLP bonding interface region. Three different types of bonding interface structures, the “γ 1 structure”, the “eutectoid structure” (“E structure”), and the “E/γ 1 /E structure”, were observed through electron microscopy, and related to the proposed sequence of interfacial structural evolution. Tensile fracture tests were conducted on TLP bonded Cu/Al/Cu coupon assemblies. Hardness of the various phases within the bonding interface region was probed with instrumented nanoindentation. Results of mechanical testing were correlated to the structure of the bonding interface region. The present results provide an understanding of the structural evolution within the Cu/Al/Cu TLP bonding interface region, and offer guidance to future bonding of Cubased microsystems.

Chen, Ke↗
DOE OSTI2018

Alternative pathway linked by hydrogen bonds connects heme-Fe of cytochrome c with subunit II-CuA of cytochrome a

Highlights: • Hydrogen bond, rather than carbon-carbon σ-bond, as the bridging element for electron transfer in proteins gained experimental evidence. • An alternative pathway linked by hydrogen bonds, is identified from heme-Fe of cytochrome c to subunit II-CuA of cytochrome a. • Such hydrogen bond-linked pathways occur in proteins and may be considered for intramolecular and intermolecular electron transfer. The bridging element for electron transfer in proteins is the hydrogen bond according to the new experimental perspective in preference to carbon-carbon σ-bond presently used. The purpose of this study is to identify an alternative pathway linked by hydrogen bonds suitable for electron transfer from heme-Fe of cytochrome c to subunit II-CuA of cytochrome a. A pathway consisting of 15 delocalized electron systems including peptide bonds, 5 polar groups of side chains of amino acid residues and 8 water molecules, linked by 27 hydrogen bonds, exists between the two metal electron centers of heme-Fe of cytochrome c, cytochrome c and of subunit II-CuA of cytochrome a. Pathways built of delocalized π-electron systems, polar groups and water molecules linked by hydrogen bonds may be considered for intramolecular and intermolecular electron transfer in proteins.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Interfacial structure and bonding mechanism of weld seams during porthole die extrusion of aluminum alloy profiles

Highlights: • Interfacial structures and bonding mechanisms of extrusion welds were studied. • Interfacial grain boundaries, amorphous layers and voids were found. • Bonding mechanisms in the absence/presence of a gas-pocket were proposed. • Voids closure, oxide films breaking and grain boundaries migration were discussed. - Abstract: Fine nanostructures of bonding interfaces of weld seams formed by porthole die extrusion in the absence/presence of a gas-pocket behind the bridge of the extrusion die were systematically studied to understand the underlying interfacial bonding mechanisms. Interfacial grain boundaries, nanoscale amorphous layers, and three kinds of new interfacial structures were found. Specifically, it was found that, in the absence of a gas-pocket behind the bridge, there are two distinctly different interfacial structures. For the first kind of bonding interface, interfacial grain boundaries exist in contact areas and micro-voids exist in non-contact areas. For the second kind of bonding interface, there are no interfacial grain boundaries in contact areas and only nanoscale micro-voids exist in non-contact areas. In the presence of a gas-pocket behind the bridge, nanoscale voids and amorphous layers exist at the bonding interface. It was also found that the formation of gas-pockets can be avoided by increasing the depth of the welding chamber, and the increase of the welding chamber's depth and extrusion speed also contributes to the volume reduction of micro-voids and the migration of grain boundaries at the bonding interface, so as to improve the welding quality of weld seams. Based on the experimental findings, two interfacial bonding mechanisms corresponding to the absence/presence of a gas-pocket are proposed. The specific behavior of micro-asperities contact, micro-voids closure, oxide films breaking and interfacial grain boundaries migration are described, and the solid-state bonding process during porthole die extrusion is revealed from the micro-nano scales.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Valuation of Indonesian catastrophic earthquake bonds with generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution and Cox-Ingersoll-Ross (CIR) interest rate model

Indonesia is a country with high risk of earthquake, because of its position in the border of earth’s tectonic plate. An earthquake could raise very high amount of damage, loss, and other economic impacts. So, Indonesia needs a mechanism for transferring the risk of earthquake from the government or the (reinsurance) company, as it could collect enough money for implementing the rehabilitation and reconstruction program. One of the mechanisms is by issuing catastrophe bond, ‘act-of-God bond’, or simply CAT bond. A catastrophe bond issued by a special-purpose-vehicle (SPV) company, and then sold to the investor. The revenue from this transaction is joined with the money (premium) from the sponsor company and then invested in other product. If a catastrophe happened before the time-of-maturity, cash flow from the SPV to the investor will discounted or stopped, and the cash flow is paid to the sponsor company to compensate their loss because of this catastrophe event. When we consider the earthquake only, the amount of discounted cash flow could determine based on the earthquake’s magnitude. A case study with Indonesian earthquake magnitude data show that the probability of maximum magnitude can model by generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. In pricing this catastrophe bond, we assumed stochastic interest rate that following the Cox-Ingersoll-Ross (CIR) interest rate model. We develop formulas for pricing three types of catastrophe bond, namely zero coupon bonds, ‘coupon only at risk’ bond, and ‘principal and coupon at risk’ bond. Relationship between price of the catastrophe bond and CIR model’s parameter, GEV’s parameter, percentage of coupon, and discounted cash flow rule then explained via Monte Carlo simulation.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Crossover from hydrogen to chemical bonding

Hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) can be interpreted as a classical electrostatic interaction or as a covalent chemical bond if the interaction is strong enough. As a result, short strong H-bonds exist at an intersection between qualitatively different bonding descriptions, with few experimental methods to understand this dichotomy. The [F-H-F] − ion represents a bare short H-bond, whose distinctive vibrational potential in water is revealed with femtosecond two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy. It shows the superharmonic behavior of the proton motion, which is strongly coupled to the donor-acceptor stretching and disappears on H-bond bending. In combination with high-level quantum-chemical calculations, we demonstrate a distinct crossover in spectroscopic properties from conventional to short strong H-bonds, which identify where hydrogen bonding ends and chemical bonding begins.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Experimental and theoretical insights into the effects of pH on catalysis of bond-cleavage by the lignin peroxidase isozyme H8 from Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Abstract Background Lignin peroxidases catalyze a variety of reactions, resulting in cleavage of both β-O-4′ ether bonds and C–C bonds in lignin, both of which are essential for depolymerizing lignin into fragments amendable to biological or chemical upgrading to valuable products. Studies of the specificity of lignin peroxidases to catalyze these various reactions and the role reaction conditions such as pH play have been limited by the lack of assays that allow quantification of specific bond-breaking events. The subsequent theoretical understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which pH modulates the activity of lignin peroxidases remains nascent. Here, we report on combined experimental and theoretical studies of the effect of pH on the enzyme-catalyzed cleavage of β-O-4′ ether bonds and of C–C bonds by a lignin peroxidase isozyme H8 from Phanerochaete chrysosporium and an acid stabilized variant of the same enzyme. Results Using a nanostructure initiator mass spectrometry assay that provides quantification of bond breaking in a phenolic model lignin dimer we found that catalysis of degradation of the dimer to products by an acid-stabilized variant of lignin peroxidase isozyme H8 increased from 38.4% at pH 5 to 92.5% at pH 2.6. At pH 2.6, the observed product distribution resulted from 65.5% β-O-4′ ether bond cleavage, 27.0% C α -C 1 carbon bond cleavage, and 3.6% C α -oxidation as by-product. Using ab initio molecular dynamic simulations and climbing-image Nudge Elastic Band based transition state searches, we suggest the effect of lower pH is via protonation of aliphatic hydroxyl groups under which extremely acidic conditions resulted in lower energetic barriers for bond-cleavages, particularly β-O-4′ bonds. Conclusion These coupled experimental results and theoretical explanations suggest pH is a key driving force for selective and efficient lignin peroxidase isozyme H8 catalyzed depolymerization of the phenolic lignin dimer and further suggest that engineering of lignin peroxidase isozyme H8 and other enzymes involved in lignin depolymerization should include targeting stability at low pH.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Initiated chemical vapor deposited nanoadhesive for bonding National Ignition Facility's targets

Currently, the target fabrication scientists in National Ignition Facility Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is studying the propagation force resulted from laser impulses impacting a target. To best study this, they would like the adhesive used to glue the target substrates to be as thin as possible. The main objective of this research project is to create adhesive glue bonds for NIF’s targets that are ≤ 1 μm thick. Polyglycidylmethacrylate (PGMA) thin films were coated on various substrates using initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). Film quality studies using white light interferometry reveal that the iCVD PGMA films were smooth. The coated substrates were bonded at 150 °C under vacuum, with low inflow of Nitrogen. Success in bonding most of NIF’s mock targets at thicknesses ≤ 1 μm indicates that our process is feasible in bonding the real targets. Key parameters that are required for successful bonding were concluded from the bonding results. They include inert bonding atmosphere, sufficient contact between the PGMA films, and smooth substrates. Average bond strength of 0.60 MPa was obtained from mechanical shearing tests. The bonding failure mode of the sheared interfaces was observed to be cohesive. Future work on this project will include reattempt to bond silica aerogel to iCVD PGMA coated substrates, stabilize carbon nanotube forests with iCVD PGMA coating, and kinetics study of PGMA thermal crosslinking.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fine Pitch Bonding for High Density Interconnects

CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) mismatch between two wafers has potential for brittle failure when large areas are bonded on top of one another (wafer to wafer or wafer to die bonds). To address this type of failure, we proposed patterning a polymer around metallic interconnects. For this project, utilized benzo cyclobutene (BCB) to form the bond and accommodate stress. For the metal interconnects, we used indium. To determine the benefits of utilizing BCB, mechanical shear testing of die bonding with just BCB were compared to die bonded just with oxide. These tests demonstrated that BCB, when cured for only 30 minutes and bonded at 200°C, the BCB was able to withstand shear forces similar to oxide. Furthermore, when the BCB did fail, it experienced a more ductile failure, allowing the silicon to crack, rather than shatter. To demonstrate the feasibility of using BCB between indium interconnects, wafers were pattered with layers of BCB with vias for indium or ENEPIG (electroless nickel, electroless palladium, immersion gold). Subsequently, these wafers were pattered with a variety of indium or ENEPIG interconnect pitches, diameters, and heights. These dies were bonded under a variety of conditions, and those that held a bond, were cross-sectioned and imaged. Images revealed that certain bonding conditions allow for interconnects and BCB to achieve a void-less bond and thus demonstrate that utilizing polymers in place of oxide is a feasible way to reduce CTE stress.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1975

High reliability bond program using small diameter aluminum wire

The program was undertaken to characterize the performance of small diameter aluminum wire ultrasonically bonded to conductors commonly encountered in hybrid assemblies, and to recommend guidelines for improving this performance. Wire, 25.4, 38.1 and 50.8 um (1, 1.5 and 2 mil), was used with bonding metallization consisting of thick film gold, thin film gold and aluminum as well as conventional aluminum pads on semiconductor chips. The chief tool for evaluating the performance was the double bond pull test in conjunction with a 72 hour - 150 C heat soak and -65 C to +150 C thermal cycling. In practice the thermal cycling was found to have relatively little effect compared to the heat soak. Pull strength will decrease after heat soak as a result of annealing of the aluminum wire; when bonded to thick film gold, the pull strength decreased by about 50% (weakening of the bond interface was the major cause of the reduction). Bonds to thin film gold lost about 30 - 40% of their initial pull strenth; weakening of the wire itself at the bond heel was the predominant cause. Bonds to aluminum substrate metallization lost only about 22%. Bonds between thick and thin film gold substrate metallization and semiconductor chips substantiated the previous conclusions but also showed that in about 20 to 25% of the cases, bond interface failure occurred at the semiconductor chip.

Macha, M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Solid-state Bonding of Superplastic Aluminum Alloy 7475 Sheet

Experimental works were carried out to study the feasibility of solid state bonding of superplastic aluminum 7475 sheet. Amount of deformation, bonding time, surface cleaning method and intermediate layer were the process parameters investigated. Other parameters, held constant by the superplastic forming condition which is required to obtain a concurrent solid state bonding, are bonding temperature, bonding pressure and atmosphere. Bond integrity was evaluated through metallographic examination, X-ray line scan analysis, SEM fractographic analysis and lap shear tests. The early results of the development program indicated that sound solid state bonding was accomplished for this high strength 7475 alloy with significant amounts of deformation. A thin intermediate layer of the soft 5052 aluminum alloy aided in achieving a solid state bonding by reducing the required amount of plastic deformation at the interface. Bond strength was substantially increased by a post bond heat treatment.

Byun, T. D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Evaluation of a thermoplastic polyimide (422) for bonding GR/PI composite

A hot-melt processable copolyimide previously studied and characterized as an adhesive for bonding Ti-6Al-4V was used to bond Celion 6000/LARC-160 composite. Comparisons are made for the two adherend systems. A bonding cycle was determined for the composite bonding and lap shear specimens were prepared which were thermally exposed in a forced-air oven for up to 5000 h at 204 C. The lap shear strengths (LSSs) were determined at RT, 177, and 204 C. After thermal exposure at RT, 177, and 204 C the LSS decreased significantly; however, a slight increase was noted for the 204 C tests. Initially the LSS values are higher for the bonded Ti-6Al-4V than for the bonded composite, however, the LSS decreases dramatically between 5000 and 10,000 h of 204 C thermal exposure. Longer periods of thermal exposure up to 20,000 h results in further decreases in the LSSs. Although the bonded composite retained useful strengths for exposures up to 5000 h, based on the poor results of the bonded Ti-6Al-4V beyond 5000 h, the 422 adhesive bonded composites would most likely also produce poor strengths beyond 5000 h exposure. Adhesive bonded composite lap shear specimens exposed to boiling water for 72 h exhibited greatly reduced strengths at all test temperatures. The percent retained after water boil for each test temperature was essentially the same for both systems.

Progar, Donald J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A noncontacting scanning photoelectron emission technique for bonding surface cleanliness inspection

Molecular contamination of bonding surfaces can drastically affect the bond strength that can be achieved and therefore the structural integrity and reliability of the bonded part. The presence of thin contaminant films on bonding surfaces can result from inadequate or incomplete cleaning methods, from oxide growth during the time between cleaning (such as grit blasting) and bonding, or from failure to properly protect cleaned surfaces from oils, greases, fingerprints, release agents, or deposition of facility airborne molecules generated by adjacent manufacturing or processing operations. Required cleanliness levels for desired bond performance can be determined by testing to correlate bond strength with contaminant type and quantity, thereby establishing the degree of contamination that can be tolerated based on the strength that is needed. Once the maximum acceptable contaminant level is defined, a method is needed to quantitatively measure the contaminant level on the bonding surface prior to bonding to verify that the surface meets the established cleanliness requirement. A photoelectron emission technique for the nondestructive inspection of various bonding surfaces, both metallic and nonmetallic, to provide quantitative data on residual contaminant levels is described. The technique can be used to scan surfaces at speeds of at least 30 ft/min using a servo system to maintain required sensor to surface spacing. The fundamental operation of the photoelectron emission sensor system is explained and the automated scanning system and computer data acquisition hardware and software are described.

Gause, Raymond L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Evaluation of a thermoplastic polyimide (422) for bonding GR/PI composite

A hot-melt processable copolyimide previously studied and characterized as an adhesive for bonding Ti-6Al-4V was used to bond Celion 6000/LARC-160 composite. Comparisons are made for the two adherend systems. A bonding cycle was determined for the composite bonding and lap shear specimens were prepared which were thermally exposed in a forced-air oven for up to 5000 h at 204 C. The lap shear strengths (LSSs) were determined at RT, 177, and 204 C. After thermal exposure at RT, 177, and 204 C the LSS decreased significantly; however, a slight increase was noted for the 204 C tests. Initially the LSS values are higher for the bonded Ti-6Al-4V than for the bonded composite, however, the LSS decreases dramatically between 5000 and 10,000 h of 204 C thermal exposure. Longer periods of thermal exposure up to 20,000 h results in further decreases in the LSSs. Although the bonded composite retained useful strengths for exposures up to 5000 h, based on the por results of the bonded Ti-6Al-4V beyond 5000 h, the 422 adhesive bonded composites would most likely also produce poor strengths beyond 5000 h exposure. Adhesive bonded composite lap shear specimens exposed to boiling water for 72 h exhibited greatly reduced strengths at all test temperatures. The percent retained after water boil for each test temperature was essentially the same for both systems.

Progar, Donald J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Evaluation of Surlyn 8920 as PHE Visor Material and Evaluations of New Adhesives for Improving Bonding Between Teflon and Stainless Steel at Cryogenic Temperature

Two studies are presented, and in the first study, Surlyn 8920 (an ionic and amorphous low density polyethylene made by Dupont) was evaluated as a possible replacement of Plexyglass G as PHE visor material. Four formulations of the polymer were made by adding different amounts of UV stabilizer, energy quencher, and antioxident in a Brabender Plasticorder. The formulated polymers were molded in the form of sheets in a compression molder. Cut samples from the molded sheets were exposed in a weatherometer and tested on Instron Tensile Tester for strength and elongation. Specially molded samples of the formulated polymers were subjected to Charpy Impact Tests. In the second study, preliminary evaluations of adhesives for improvement of bonding between Teflon and stainless steel (SS) were performed. Kapton, a high temperature polyimide made by Dupont, and a rubber based adhesive made by Potter Paint Co., were evaluated against industrial quality epoxy, the current material used to bond Teflon and SS. The degreased surfaces of the SS discs were etched mechanically, with a few of these etched chemically. The surfaces of the SS discs were etched mechanically, with a few of these etched chemically. Bonding strengths were evaluated using lap shear tests on the Instron Tensile Tester for the samples bonded by Kapton and industrial quality epoxy. Bond strengths were also evaluated using a pull test on the Instron for the samples bonded by Potter adhesive (CWL-152) and industrial quality epoxy. Based on limited lap shear data, Kapton gave bond strength favorable compared to that of industrial epoxy. Based on limited pull test data, Kapton bonded and CWL-152 bonded samples showed poor strength compared to epoxy bonded sample.

Ray, Asit K.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Nondestructive Evaluation of Adhesively Bonded Joints by Acousto-Ultrasonic Technique and Acoustic Emission

Reliable applications of adhesively bonded joints require an effective nondestructive evaluation technique for their bond strength prediction. To properly evaluate factors affecting bond strength, effects of defects such as voids and disbonds on stress distribution in the overlap region must be understood. At the same time, in order to use acousto-ultrasonic (AU) technique to evaluate bond quality, the effect of these defects on dynamic response of single lap joints must be clear. The stress distribution in a single lap joint with and without defects (void or disbond) is analyzed. A bar-Theta parameter which contains adherend and adhesive thickness and properties is introduced. It is shown for bonded joints with bar-Theta greater than 10, that a symmetric void or disbond in the middle of overlap up to the 70 percent of overlap length has negligible effect on bond strength. In contrast frequency response analyses by a finite element technique showed that the dynamic response is affected significantly by the presence of voids or disbonds. These results have direct implication in the interpretations of AU results. Through transmission attenuation and a number of AU parameters for various specimens with and without defects are evaluated. It is found that although void and disbond have similar effects on bond strength (stress distribution), they have completely different effects on wave propagation characteristics. For steel-adhesive-steel specimens with voids, the attenuation changes are related to the bond strength. However, the attenuation changes for specimens with disbond are fairly constant over a disbond range. In order to incorporate the location of defects in AU parameters, a weighting function is introduced. Using an immersion system with focused transducers, a number of AU parameters are evaluated. It is found that by incorporating weighting functions in these parameters better sensitivities (AU parameters vs. bond strength) are achieved. Acoustic emission (AE) activities of steel-adhesive-steel specimens with bar-Theta equal to 3.4 are monitored. Two different formats of energy vs. time have resulted, each corresponding to the perfect specimens or the specimens with void or disbond. The relative acoustic energy and the number of events at failure are found to be a means for predicting the bond strength.

Nayeb-Hashemi, Hamid↗
NASA NTRS1998

A 90 GHz Amplifier Assembled Using a Bump-Bonded InP-Based HEMT

We report on the performance of a novel W-band amplifier fabricated utilizing very compact bump bonds. We bump-bonded a high-speed, low-noise InP high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) onto a separately fabricated passive circuit having a GaAs substrate. The compact bumps and small chip size were used for efficient coupling and maximum circuit design flexibility. This new quasi-monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit (Q-MMIC) amplifier exhibits a peak gain of 5.8 dB at approx. 90 GHz and a 3 dB bandwidth of greater than 25%. To our knowledge, this is the highest frequency amplifier assembled using bump-bonded technology. Our bump-bonding technique is a useful alternative to the high cost of monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuits (MMIC's). Effects of the bumps on the circuit appear to be minimal. We used the simple matching circuit for demonstrating the technology - future circuits would have all of the elements (resistors, via holes, bias lines, etc.) included 'in conventional MMIC's. Our design in different from other investigators' efforts in that the bumps are only 8 microns thick by 15 microns wide. The bump sizes were sufficiently small that the devices, originally designed for W-band hybrid circuits, could be bonded without alteration. Figure 3 shows the measured and simulated magnitude of S-parameters from 85-120 GHz, of the InP HEMT bump-bonded to the low noise amplifier (LNA) passive. The maximum gain is 5.8 dB at approx. 90 GHz, and gain extends to 117 GHz. Measurement of a single device (without matching networks) shows approx. 1 dB of gain at 90 GHz. The measured gain of the amplifier agrees well with the design in the center of the measurement band, and the agreement falls off at the band edges. Since no accommodation for the bump-bonding parasitics was made in the design, the result implies that the parasitic elements associated with the bonding itself do not dominate the performance of the LNA circuit. It should be noted that this amplifier was designed for good noise performance, which is why the input and output return losses are poorer than one would expect for an amplifier simply matched for gain. However, noise performance has not been measured at this time. While the agreement between modeled vs. experimental data is not exact, the data prove that bump-bonded technology can be used for amplifiers at frequencies at least as high as 100 GHz. JPL is pursuing this technology as a way to economically and quickly incorporate the best available HEMTs into a circuit with all of the reliability and circuit design flexibility offered by MMIC technology. We are currently using the technology to fabricate 4-stage, wide-band, W-band LNA's. We have also performed pull and shear tests which show that the bump bonds are sufficiently robust for any anticipated application.

Pinsukanjana, Paul R.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Fabrication and Characterization of Diffusion Bonds for Silicon Carbide

Diffusion bonds of silicon carbide (SiC) were fabricated using several different types of titanium (Ti) based interlayers between the SiC substrates. The interlayers were an alloyed Ti foil, a pure Ti foil, and a physically vapor deposited (PVD) Ti coating. Microscopy was conducted to evaluate the cross-sections of the resulting bonds. Microprobe analysis identified reaction formed phases in the diffusion bonded region. Uniform and well adhered bonds were formed between the SiC substrates. In the case where the alloyed Ti foil or a thick Ti coating (i.e. 20 micron) was used as the interlayer, microcracks and several phases were present in the diffusion bonds. When a thinner interlayer was used (i.e. 10 micron PVD Ti), no microcracks were observed and only two reaction formed phases were present. The two phases were preferred and fully reacted phases that did not introduce thermal stresses or microcracks during the cool-down stage after processing. Diffusion bonded samples were evaluated with the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods of pulsed thermography and immersion ultrasonic testing. Joined SiC substrates that were fully bonded and that had simulated bond flaws in the interlayer were also evaluated using immersion ultrasound. Pull testing was conducted on the bonds to determine the tensile strength. To demonstrate the joining approach for a complex multilayered component for a low NOx injector application, the diffusion bonding approach was used to join three 4" diameter SiC discs that contained complex fuel and air flow channels.

Halbig, Michael↗