A new application of excimer laser, surface modification of ceramics for bonding a metals to ceramics is demonstrated in this paper.
Excimer laser irradiation of Si3N4and AIN gave an Si and AI rich layer on the surface of Si3N4 and AIN, respectively. These layers were the by-products of the decomposition of ceramics. Although they often cause deterioration of qualities in processing such as cutting and ablation, we found them effective as the binder for bonding ceramics to metals such as Cu and AI. The strength of the bonding interface between the laser irradiated Si3N4 and the ion sputtered surface of the Cu, for example, exceeds the strength obtained by conventional bonding methods. The tensile strength of 100-200MPa were obtained even at low bonding temperature, 560K.