A quantitative adhesion test for thin polymer films on silicon substrates

Abstract

The standard 90° peel test was modified in order to apply it to testing adhesion of thin polymer films to surfaces of silicon substrates, such as the silicon nitride passivation layer used in our solid-state chemical sensors. The goal of this task was to develop a procedure for testing adhesion of both dry and wet films, which would yield repeatable, quantitative results quickly, and with simple sample preparation. It is important to produce valid comparisons of adhesion both over variations of a given polymer composition, and between films made of dissimilar polymer matrices. The method described herein could be applied to adhesion testing of a wide variety of thin polymer layers to solid surfaces.