The effect of silicon on the wettability and interfacial reaction in AlN/Cu alloy systems

Wetting behavior of AlN by Cu alloys has been studied in vacuum through sessile drop technique. The contact angle was determined by high temperature photography and shape analysis software. Pure copper does not wet AlN. The contact angle of the AlN/Cu system at 1200 °C is 138°. Adding 20 at% Si leads to the decrease of the contact angle from 138° to 96°, and a reaction layer forms in the interfacial area. The addition of Si can also improve the wettability of AlN/Cu10Ti (the atomic ratio of Cu:Ti is 90:10) system. The contact angle of the system decreases to the values less than 20° at 1200 °C by adding 20 at% or 27 at% Si. During the wetting experiment, Ti diffuses to and reacts with AlN, leading to the formation of TiN. Addition of Si can retard the reaction between Ti and AlN by forming a Si-rich layer, mainly composed of Ti–Si compound, between the reaction layer, mainly composed of TiN, and the CuSiTi alloy. The Si-rich layer also contributes to the improvement of the wettability of the system. In the meantime, the addition of Si contributes to the decrease of the stress in the interfacial area and to the bonding at the interfaces.