Typically an adhesion promotion layer (Ti, Cr) is used between the substrate and the seed layer. In the case of Au on Al, I think someone earlier in this thread alluded to purple plague, an intermetallic that forms between Au and Al at high temperatures and other conditions. A barrier layer (Pt, TiW) is often used between the adhesion and seed layer. So the stack might look something like this: _________ Au _________ Pt _________ Ti _________ Al (substrate) _________ On Jan 8, 2009, at 8:13 AM, Wilson, Thomas wrote: > Regarding the aluminum oxide formation and the use of Au as a seed > layer .... I wonder if Au bonds well to Al? I believe I had read > somewhere that it isn't a very good one. > > Thomas Brad Cantos brad.cantos@holage.com http://holage.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bradcantos