The dimensional stability of optoelectronic adhesives

Optoelectronic packages are made with materials systems comprising ceramics, metal alloys, glasses, and polymers. The interplay between the properties of these materials determines stability and reliability of optoelectronic packages. Moreover, optoelectronic packages exhibit extreme sensitivity to minute changes in the geometry of the system. A sub-micron scale misalignment of an optical component can result in significant optical losses. As a result, the interplay of material properties may limit the short-term life of a unit that has no physical defects otherwise. Materials most likely to be involved with such misalignment are organic adhesives. This paper summaries our efforts in characterizing the dimensional stability of adhesives.