Electrical and ion beam analyses of yttrium and yttrium-titanium getter thin films oxidation

Yttrium, titanium, and yttrium-titanium getter thin films were elaborated on silicon by coevaporation in ultrahigh vacuum. Y-Ti exhibit nanometric crystallites size (18–35 nm) leading to a very high grain boundary density, which is favorable microstructure for activation at low temperature. The yttrium content alloys influences size, resistance against room temperature oxidation, gettering performance oxygen. with an higher than 30% show strong oxygen sorption during annealing (<300 °C). After 1 h of 250 °C, it was estimated that the yttrium-based can trap between 0.2 0.5 μmol per cm2, while no detected single metal titanium film. This makes attractive candidates packaging MEMS under vacuum bonding