Getter Materials

Getter materials is the reactive materials placed inside sealed packages to absorb residual gases and maintain required internal atmosphere - they are commonly used in vacuum and hermetic MEMS packaging.

What Is Getter materials?

• Definition: Materials engineered to chemically bind or trap gas species after package seal.
• Common Targets: Hydrogen, oxygen, moisture, and other contaminants that affect device operation.
• Activation Behavior: Many getters require thermal or process activation to reach full effectiveness.
• Placement Strategy: Deposited on cap wafer or cavity surfaces away from moving structures.

Why Getter materials Matters

• Vacuum Stability: Maintains low-pressure conditions over long product lifetimes.
• Performance Retention: Reduces drift caused by gas-related damping or contamination.
• Reliability: Protects sensitive surfaces from corrosive species inside sealed cavities.
• Lifetime Extension: Compensates for minor seal leakage and outgassing over time.
• Qualification Support: Getter effectiveness is a key variable in package reliability validation.

How It Is Used in Practice

• Material Selection: Choose getter chemistry by target gases, temperature budget, and compatibility.
• Activation Control: Define thermal activation recipe integrated with bonding flow.
• Cavity Monitoring: Track pressure drift and gas signatures during reliability stress tests.

Getter materials is a key atmosphere-control element in sealed package systems - proper getter design significantly improves long-term cavity stability.