Richard L. Edwards

Measurements of Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and tensile strength of polysilicon

New techniques and procedures are described that enable one to measure the mechanical properties of polysilicon films that are 3.5 /spl mu/m thick. Polysilicon is deposited onto a silicon substrate which is then etched away to leave a tensile specimen in the middle of the die. The grip ends of the structure are glued to the grips of a linear air bearing attached to a piezoelectrically actuated loading system. Strain is measured directly on the specimen with laser interferometry. The specimens are fabricated at the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina with their MUMPs process. The results of 48 tests on five different sets of MUMPs specimens yield the following material properties: Youngs modulus=169/spl plusmn/6.15 GPa, Poissons ratio=0.22/spl plusmn/0.011, and tensile strength=1.20/spl plusmn/0.15 GPa These values have a reasonably low coefficient of variation which demonstrates the consistency of both the processing and the measurement techniques.

Multisite microprobes for neural recordings

Multisite, passive microprobes have been developed to allow simultaneous recording of action potential activity from multiple neurons at different locations in the brain. The microprobes were fabricated using standard integrated-circuit techniques. The probe is a planar structure that consists of gold electrodes sandwiched between two polyimide dielectric layers and bonded to a molybdenum structural support. Windows in the top dielectric layer expose the electrode sites and bonding pads. In two distinct versions of the probe, four or six recording sites of approximately 25 mu m/sup 2/ are arranged on a dagger-shaped structure which can penetrate the pia. The bonding pads and interconnect wires at the probe head are entirely encapsulated in a tubular fixture that is packed with silicone RTV and sealed with epoxy to protect the interconnections from contact with body fluids. The site impedances at 1 kHz are typically between 2 and 4 M Omega . Probe lifetimes for continuous immersion in physiological saline solution, as measured by impedance, have exceeded 750 h. The failure mechanism is believed to be due to moisture and ion absorption in the top dielectric layer.<<ETX>>

RELATING MECHANICAL TESTING AND MICROSTRUCTURAL FEATURES OF POLYSILICON THIN FILMS

Polycrystalline silicon thin films (polysilicon) have been deposited on single crystalline silicon substrates, and square and rectangular windows have been etched into these substrates using standard micromachining techniques. Pressure-displacement curves of the resulting polysilicon membranes have been obtained for these geometries, and this data has been used to determine the elastic constants E and v . The microstructural features of the films have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction. The grains were observed to be columnar and were found to have a 〈011〉 out-of-plane texture and a random in-plane grain orientation. A probabilistic model of the texture has been used to calculate the bounds of the elastic constants in the thin films. The results obtained from bulge testing ( E = 162 ± 4 GPa and v = 0.20 ± 0.03) fall in the wide range of values previously reported for polysilicon and are in good agreement with the microsample tensile measurements conducted on films deposited in the same run as the present study (168 ± 2 GPa and 0.22 ± 0.01) and the calculated values of the in-plane moduli for 〈1103〉 textured films ( E = 163.0–165.5 GPa and v = 0.221–0.239).

New test structures and techniques for measurement of mechanical properties of MEMS materials

This paper presents techniques and procedures for addressing the three major problems of mechanical testing of the thin films used in surface micromachined microelectromechanical systems--specimen handling, friction, and strain measurement. The polysilicon tensile specimens are fabricated with two supporting side strips on silicon wafers at the Microelectronic Center of North Carolina. The tensile specimen is released by etching away the wafer, and the two support strips are cut after the specimen is glued in the test machine. Friction is reduced by a linear air bearing in the load train, and strain is measured with a noncontacting technique based on laser interferometry between two gold lines on the tensile specimen. The Youngs modulus of polysilicon is 170 +/- 7 GPa and the strength is 1.21 +/- 0.16 GPa from a series of 29 tests. preliminary measurements have been made of Poissons ratio and the fatigue behavior, and an attempt is underway to measure the fracture toughness.

Wirebonding at higher ultrasonic frequencies: reliability and process implications

Abstract Higher-frequency ultrasonics have been utilized to improve the bondability of difficult substrates, i.e., substrates that would not bond or that bonded poorly using conventional ultrasonics (nominally at 60 kHz). A systematic study of the influence of higher-frequency ultrasonics on bond strength and the bondability of various substrates is reported. The studies were carried out using two essentially identical thermosonic ball bonding machines, one bonding at nominally 60 kHz and the other at 100 kHz. The only differences between the bonding machines were the ultrasonic generators’ operating frequency and the transducer horns. Key to the study was the ability to make the bonding experiments as controlled, repeatable, and independent of all variables (except frequency) as possible. Control techniques included setting the electronic flame-off to produce consistently sized free-air balls; monitoring the ultrasonic voltage and current waveforms; and picking force, dwell, energy, and substrate heat settings that would allow strong bonds to be formed at both frequencies. Wirebonds (ball bonds) in this study were evaluated primarily by the ball bond shear test. Statistical methods were used to determine whether the differences in the means and variances between comparable samples sets (one bonded at 60 kHz and the other bonded at 100 kHz) were significant. Results of our studies indicate that significant differences exist between bonding at nominally 60 kHz and bonding at 100 kHz. In particular, we describe effects associated with (1) the ball shear strength before and after thermal aging (temperatures up to 200 °C) for both 60- and 100-kHz bonds, (2) the influence of substrate-metallizations combinations on the geometry and strength of the bonds at the different frequencies, and (3) the sensitivity and control of the overall bonding processes.

Fracture tests of polysilicon film

A new test approach is presented to measure the fracture toughness of thin films. The polysilicon specimen is a center-cracked panel that is 3.5 {micro}m thick and 3 mm wide with a 100 {micro}m long slot in the center. It is subjected to tensile loading, and the crack-opening displacement is measured by interferometry. The average toughness is 1.4 {+-} 0.65 MPa-m{sup 1/2}.

Effect of etch holes on the mechanical properties of polysilicon

For large movable parts in the microelectromechanical systems,etch holes are needed to facilitate the releasing process. These etch holes obviously weaken the structure and affect its mechanical properties. New techniques and structures have been developed to measure the mechanical properties of very thin microelectromechanical systems(MEMS)materials. A dog-bone shaped tensile specimen is imposed with a uniaxial stress field and strain is directly measured on the specimen with the interferometric strain/displacement gage. This testing approach has been used to study the effect of etch holes on the mechanical properties of polysilicon thin film. The material is phosphorus doped, low pressure chemical vapor deposited polysilicon deposited at MCNC the multi-user MEMS processes. The specimen is 3.5 μm thick and 0.6 mm wide at its narrowest point. The etch holes are about 5 μm in diameter and 30 μm apart. Compared with the mechanical properties of the specimens without etch holes, the tensile strength has dropped by 50% and the Young’s modulus decreases only about 18% due to the existence of the etch holes. Finite element modeling is applied to the specimens with etch holes and in agreement with the test results.

MEMS Thermal Switch for Spacecraft Thermal Control

Small satellites with their low thermal capacitance are vulnerable to rapid temperature fluctuations. Therefore, thermal control becomes important, but the limitations on mass and electrical power require new approaches. Possible solutions to actively vary the heat rejection of the satellite in response to variations in the thermal load and environmental condition are the use of a variable emissivity coating (VEC), micro-machined shutters and louvers, or thermal switches. An elegant way the radiate heat is to switch the thermal contact between the emitting surface and the radiator electrostatically. This paper describes the design and fabrication of an active radiator for satellite thermal control based on such a micro electromechanical (MEMS) thermal switch. The switch operates by electrostatically moving a high emissivity surface layer in and out of contact with the radiator. The electromechanical model and material considerations for the thermal design of the MEMS device are discussed. The design utilizes a highly thermal conductive gold membrane supported by low-conductance SU-8 posts. The fabrication process is described. Measured actuation voltages were consistent with the electrostatic model, ranging from 8 to 25 volts.

Polysilicon Tensile Testing With Electrostatic Gripping

Techniques and procedures are described for tensile testing of polysilicon specimens that are 1.5 or 3.5 νm thick and have various widths and lengths. The specimens are fixed to the wafer at one end and have a large free end that can be gripped by electrostatic forces. This enables easy handling and testing and permits the deposition of 18 specimens on a one-centimeter square portion of a wafer. The displacement of the free end is monitored, which allows one to extract Youngs modulus from the force-displacement record. Some of the wider specimens have two gold lines applied so that strain can be measured interferometrically directly on the specimen to record a stress-strain curve. The specimens were produced at the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC). When compared with earlier results of wider MCNC specimens that were 3.5 μm thick, the Youngs modulus is smaller and the strength is slightly larger.

Optical deflection measurement for characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)

Nonintrusive measurement of small out-of-plane motions of microscale structures is critical to the development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This paper presents a low-cost deflection measurement system for MEMS structures based on a fiber optic displacement sensor. The system is demonstrated in the characterization of a microwave switch. The deflection system had a demonstrated sensitivity of 290/spl plusmn/32 /spl mu/V/nm over a deflection range of 100 /spl mu/m. The calibration and linearity of the system are described, and the static and dynamic performance is compared to more elaborate systems.