Cross comparison of thin-film tensile-testing methods examined using single-crystal silicon, polysilicon, nickel, and titanium films

• Published in: Journal of microelectromechanical systems Vol. 14; no. 5; pp. 1178 - 1186
• Main Authors: Tsuchiya, T., Hirata, M., Chiba, N., Udo, R., Yoshitomi, Y., Ando, T., Sato, K., Takashima, K., Higo, Y., Saotome, Y., Ogawa, H., Ozaki, K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.10.2005; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Fabrication; Fracture mechanics; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Materials testing; Mechanical instruments, equipment and techniques; Mechanical properties; Micromechanical devices and systems; Modulus of elasticity; Nickel; Physics; Semiconductor films; Semiconductor thin films; Shape; Silicon; Single crystals; standardization; Strain measurement; Tensile strength; tensile testing; thin film; Thin films; Titanium; Transistors; Materials testing; Elastic constants; Ruptures; Deformation modulus; Tensile tests; Standardization; Mechanical properties; Experimental study; Tensile strength; Thin films; Young modulus; tensile testing; Monocrystals; thin film; Nickel; Polysilicon; Microelectromechanical device; Production process
• ISSN: 1057-7157; 1941-0158
• DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2005.851820

This paper reports on the results of comparing different types of tensile testing methods that are used to evaluate thin-film properties. We tested the same material fabricated on a single wafer using different testing techniques at five different research institutions. The testing methods were different in the way the specimen was gripped. Materials tested were single-crystal silicon (SCS), polysilicon, nickel, and titanium films. Specimens with three different shapes were processed through the same fabrication steps. The tensile strength, fracture strain, and Young's modulus of the films were measured and compared. The measured values of the mechanical properties of all the testing methods were in good agreement with each other, thus demonstrating their accuracy.