Fracture testing of silicon cantilever beams (thicknesses 10–20 μm) was performed in situ in a scanning electron microscope by means of an equipment specially designed for this purpose. Beams of various sizes and orientations (〈011〉 and 〈001〉) were manufactured in Si (100) wafers by two different micromachining procedures. The beams were tested by simple bending to fracture, and a number of fundamental fracture parameters were determined from an analytical model of elastic fracture. To verify its validity, the model was utilized to evaluate an experimental E modulus, which was found to agree well with previous results. Fracture limits, fracture strains, and initiating flaw sizes were determined. The maximum fracture limit was very high; about 10 GPa. The strengths of different beams scattered from this value down to practically zero strength, with an average close to 4 GPa. The corresponding fracture strains and initiating flaw sizes were 6% and 3 nm, respectively (maximum strength), and 2% and 17 nm (average strength). Finally, a simple fractography study was performed on the fractured beams.
In order to test the statistical influence of some process and micromachining parameters on the fracture strength of silicon microelements, arrays of identical microsized cantilever beams were bulk micromachined in single-crystalline silicon wafers. The beams were exposed to various surface treatments (diamond polishing with different grades, oxidization, stripping of oxide) in different combinations. The influence on fracture strength was investigated by bending the beams to fracture in a micromanipulator mounted in situ in a scanning electron microscope while registering force-versus-deflection curves. Average fracture strengths, standard deviations, Weibull moduli, crack-initiating flaw sizes, and in some cases elastic moduli were evaluated. Diamond polishing was found to decrease the fracture strength drastically, but polishing followed by oxidization not only restored the original strength, but actually increased it, due to crack healing. Polishing, oxidization, and subsequent stripping of oxide resulted in fracture strengths slightly higher than the original strength. The Weibull modulus was diminished from 10 to 6–9 by the polishing. The initiating flaw sizes were theoretically evaluated, and found to agree with previous results of cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy studies of polished silicon surfaces. The elastic moduli determined were significantly lower (30%–40%) than the corresponding module of pure, single-crystalline silicon, probably due to high dopant contents in the specimens investigated here.
The aim of this work is to introduce GaAs as a mechanical material to those working primarily with silicon in micromechanics, and to give an update of the micromechanical properties of GaAs. Mechanical properties, some promising response mechanisms for micromechanical sensors, and recent micromechanical applications are reviewed for GaAs, and its best developed alloying system, the AlxGa1-xAs ternary.
Evaluating the mechanical properties of thin films on thick substrates is tricky. Some useful techniques for mechanical property measurements on macroscopic film specimens exist, e.g., internal stress measurements by x-ray diffraction or by wafer buckling. Many conventional techniques, however, such as indentation for hardness measurement or scratch testing for evaluation of adhesion or wear resistance, yield results that are difficult or impossible to evaluate in terms of more fundamental film properties. In fact, these techniques are more practical engineering tools than tools for scientific study.One solution is to miniaturize the test probe to dimensions approaching the film thickness. The nanoindentation technique for submicrohardness measurement described elsewhere in this issue by Pharr and Oliver is a recent example of such an approach. Still, for very thin films it is difficult to separate the influence of the substrate properties from the film properties, and the indentation process is inherently too complex to be well suited for determining fundamental materials parameters.The rapidly evolving field of micromechanics offers some new possibilities in thin film characterization. Important film properties such as internal stress, elastic moduli, plastic yield limit, and fracture data can be extracted from experiments with micromachined test structures in the 10–1,000 μm size range.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.