Adhesion of screen printed conductors on laser reduced AlN

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) has not attained the type of success alumina has had with thick film materials. This project is aimed at increasing the number of thick film inks compatible with AlN. Excimer laser reduced AlN is metallic, but not sufficiently conductive to act as an interconnection for microelectronic circuits. The reduced surface acts as a bonding layer to promote adhesion of screen printed metal films. Design of Experiments (DOE) plays a critical role in determining the success of a research project. Completely Randomized Nested Classification design strategy is used in these experiments. The Ag-Pd ink formulated for alumina is screen printed on AlN and alumina substrates in a random order and fired. Wires are soldered to the pads and a pull test is done. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to compare the adhesion strength of Ag-Pd ink formulated for alumina screen printed on Al₂O₃ and laser reduced AlN substrates.