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Characterization of Mechanical Properties of Silicon Nitride Thin Films for Space Applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Wen-Hsien Chuang ,
Thomas Luger ,
Rainer K. Fettig  and
Reza Ghodssi
Wen-Hsien Chuang
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Institution for Systems Research University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, U.S.A.
Thomas Luger
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Institution for Systems Research University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, U.S.A.
Reza Ghodssi
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Institution for Systems Research University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Mechanical properties of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) materials at cryogenic temperatures are investigated to extend MEMS devices into space applications. A helium-cooled measurement setup mimicking the outer space environment is developed and installed inside a focused-ion-beam (FIB) system. T-shape, low-stress LPCVD silicon nitride cantilevers suspended on a silicon substrate are fabricated as the test structures using bulk micromachining technique. A lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) translator and a silicon diode are utilized as an actuator and a temperature sensor in the measurement setup, respectively. The resonant frequencies of an identical cantilever with different “milling masses” are measured to obtain the thickness and the Young's modulus. Additionally, a bending test is performed to determine the fracture strength. From the experiments, the Young's modulus of LPCVD silicon nitride thin films varies from 260.5 GPa ± 5.4 GPa at room temperature (298 K) to 266.6 GPa ± 4.1 GPa at 30 K, while the fracture strength ranges from 6.9 GPa ± 0.6 GPa at room temperature to 7.9 GPa ± 0.7 GPa at 30 K.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 782: Symposium A – Micro- and Nanosystems , 2003 , A5.21
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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References

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