Abstract. The in
uences of cupric oxide layer thickness, cuprous oxide particles and pores on the
mechanical properties and microstructure of an alumina-copper eutectic bond have been investigated. The
furnace atmosphere in the rst stage was argon gas with 2  10????6 atm oxygen partial pressure. In the
second stage, the furnace atmosphere was the same as the rst stage except that the cooling interval was
between 900-1000C and the hydrogen gas was injected into the furnace atmosphere. Finally, in the last
stage, a vacuum furnace with 5  10????8 atm pressure was chosen for the bonding procedure. The peel
strength of rst stage specimens shows that a cupric oxide layer with 320  25 nm thickness generates
maximum peel strength (13:1  0:3 kg/cm) in the joint interface. In the second stage, by using hydrogen
gas, a joint interface free from any cuprous oxide particles was formed. In this case, the joint strength
has increased to 17:1  0:2 kg/cm. Finally, the bonding process in the vacuum furnace indicates that
the furnace gas does not have a considerable eect on joint interface pores. Furthermore, the bonding
process in the vacuum furnace reduces the peel strength of the joint due to the formation of more pores.
A thorough study of pore formation is presented.