Method for In Situ On-Wafer Tensile Test of Thin Films
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Structure Design
2.1. Mechanical-Lumped Model
2.2. Model of Force Sensor Beam
2.3. Model of Suspension Beam
2.4. Fixation of Film Sample
3. Fabrication
3.1. Process Flow
- The bonding surfaces of the glass and silicon wafer are positioned opposite each other and secured in a specialized alignment fixture for bonding. The fixture is then placed on the lithography machine, with the silicon wafer on top and the glass substrate underneath.
- A CCD camera located beneath the lithography machine’s stage captures the alignment marks on the silicon wafer through the glass from below and records their images on the display.
- The CCD camera automatically adjusts its focus to the glass substrate. By fine-tuning the x-axis, y-axis, and angular θ knobs, the alignment marks on the glass are aligned with those of the silicon wafer recorded on the display.
- The fixture locks the relative positions of the two substrates. The fixture is then removed from the lithography machine and transferred to the bonding machine to complete the bonding process.
3.2. Process Error Analysis
4. Experimental Results and Discussion
- Place the wafer to be tested on the microscope stage and level it.
- Adjust the probe so that the probe tip is positioned at the V-groove of the probe loading point and begin video recording. Move the probe in the direction indicated in Figure 1 to drive the testing structure to apply an increasing axial tensile force to the thin film.
- Observe the deformation of the thin-film test structure in real-time through the microscope. Once the thin-film test structure fractures, stop the driving load and cease video recording.
- Review the video recording to read the ruler reading at the moment of fracture of the thin film.
- Substitute into the theoretical model from the previous section to calculate the tensile strength of the thin film.
- No correlation between strength and position on the wafer was observed.
- The analysis of the strength results from Groups 1–5 reveals that the ultimate strength is independent of the film length, indicating no size effect on brittle fracture. This can be attributed to the fact that new defects initiate during the stretching process before old defects propagate, with the fracture process dominated by ductile fracture.
- Samples from Groups 1–5 exhibited immediate fracture after the elastic stage, with no distinct yield phenomenon observed. In contrast, Groups 6, 7, and 8 showed a relatively short yield stage followed by immediate fracture, with the ultimate strength approximately equal to the yield strength. Groups 9 and 10 demonstrated a more pronounced yield phenomenon, characterized by (1) a significant elongation of the aluminum film specimen, as shown in Figure 14a; (2) the ruler reading remaining relatively constant during the test, with no change in response to probe movement.
- The fracture/yield strength of the samples increased with increasing cross-sectional area. This is attributed to the following reasons: (1) wider aluminum films provide more freedom for dislocation generation and movement, exhibiting better plasticity; (2) thinner aluminum films are more affected by surface oxide layers, leading to localized stress concentration and thus a decrease in yield strength.
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
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No. | Al Film Sample | Force Sensor Beam | Constraint | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(μm) | (μm) | (nm) | (μm) | (μm) | |||
1 | 200 | 100 | 100 | 10 | 685 | 1 | Hinge |
2 | 400 | 100 | 100 | 10 | 685 | 1 | Hinge |
3 | 600 | 100 | 100 | 10 | 685 | 1 | Hinge |
4 | 800 | 100 | 100 | 10 | 685 | 1 | Hinge |
5 | 1000 | 100 | 100 | 10 | 685 | 1 | Hinge |
6 | 600 | 500 | 100 | 28 | 1170 | 1 | Fixed |
7 | 600 | 1000 | 100 | 28 | 1170 | 2 | Fixed |
8 | 600 | 100 | 500 | 28 | 1170 | 1 | Fixed |
9 | 600 | 500 | 500 | 28 | 1170 | 5 | Fixed |
10 | 600 | 1000 | 500 | 28 | 1170 | 10 | Fixed |
Suspension Beam | Structure Thickness | |||||||
(μm) | (μm) | (μm) | (μm) | |||||
520 | 30 | 10 | 5 | 60 | ||||
Ruler | V-groove | |||||||
(μm) | (μm) | (°) | (μm) | |||||
3 | 5 | 25 | 90 | 100 |
Reference | This Research | Cheng [17] | Read et al. [18] | Smithells [19] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thickness | 100–500 nm | 100 nm | 0.2–5 μm | Bulk | |||
Purity | 99.99% | 99.99% | 99.999% | 99.99% | |||
Preparation and processing | Sputtering | Sputtering | Evaporation | E-beam evaporation | O | H4 | H8 |
Strength (MPa) | 156–465 | 450–490 | 325–390 | 124–176 | 55 | 85 | 110 |
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Wang, X.; Li, J.; Chen, Y.; Zhou, J.; Cheng, L.; Zhang, D. Method for In Situ On-Wafer Tensile Test of Thin Films. Micromachines 2025, 16, 262. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16030262
Wang X, Li J, Chen Y, Zhou J, Cheng L, Zhang D. Method for In Situ On-Wafer Tensile Test of Thin Films. Micromachines. 2025; 16(3):262. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16030262
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Xufeng, Jiakang Li, Yi Chen, Jiawei Zhou, Leijian Cheng, and Dacheng Zhang. 2025. "Method for In Situ On-Wafer Tensile Test of Thin Films" Micromachines 16, no. 3: 262. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16030262
APA StyleWang, X., Li, J., Chen, Y., Zhou, J., Cheng, L., & Zhang, D. (2025). Method for In Situ On-Wafer Tensile Test of Thin Films. Micromachines, 16(3), 262. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16030262