Method of Bonding Crystal Layers to Insulating Substrates

This invention relates generally to a method of attaching soluble crystals to insulating supporting structures. More specifically, this invention relates to the bonding of pyroelectric detectors or pyroelectric vidicon targets on thin polymer, glass, or other insulating substrates.

A technique for forming a pyroelectric vidicon (PEV) target on an insulating substrate is described in Patent 4,053,806.

In this technique, a polyimide (Pyre-ML) is made wettable by sequential depositions of ultrathin (in the order of few hundred Angstroms) layers of Cr and MgF.sub.2. The PEV target of polycrystalline TGS (triglycine sulfate) is deposited from a water solution of the TGS by evaporation of the water. The polycrystalline TGS is strongly adherent to the surface. Among other alternate wetting techniques, deposited films of aluminum, presumably surface oxidized, will also be satisfactory.

This method has the requirement that the PEV target be formed from solution. In accordance with our invention, we provide a simple, clean method of attaching prefabricated TGS pyroelectric vidicon targets or other soluble crystals to ultra-thin supporting structures by using a minimum amount of water sufficient only to dissolve the contact surface of the material sufficient to produce a bond. Thus, this method can be used for attaching monocrystals or solid polycrystalline films to a substrate.

In one embodiment of this invention, the method has been tried with single crystal TGS on glass, supported polymers, and unsupported polymers. The surfaces, if not already wettable, were made wettable by the application of the aforementioned ultra-thin Cr and MgF.sub.2 films and then a small amount of water sufficient only to form a thin film was added on the surface. The excess water was then centrifuged from the surface on a photo-resist spinner and then the TGS was placed on the wet substrate. Additional centrifuging has provided a strong bond between the TGS and the substrate. Inspection of the periphery of the bonded films has revealed some dissolved TGS. The bond appeared to be the result of wetting of the substrate by the TGS saturated aqueous medium. Instead of centrifuging after the pyroelectric target is in place, the bond can be formed by applying an electric field across the substrate - target system. Because of the polar nature of PEV targets, dipole fields are formed when the field is applied. The dipole charges on the substrate is attractive to the PEV target. The large forces that result compress the target to the substrate thus expelling the excess moisture.

In another embodiment, a polymer substrate, such as, for example a membrane of polyimide (DuPont trade name Pyre-ML) is made wettable by applying on its surface ultrathin layers of a wettable material such as, Cr and MgF.sub.2 ; then the wettable substrate is brought in intimate contact with a solid TGS film. Subsequently, the substrate is supported on its periphery and the opposite side of the film is exposed to a moist atmosphere. Water permeation through the film will produce enough dissolution of the TGS to provide the bond.

These techniques are extendable to any water soluble pyroelectric target materials such as, for example, triglycine fluoroberyllate, or deuterated triglycine fluoroberyllate.