Microtensile Methodology for Mechanical Characterization of Thin Films

Abstract

Abstract A microtensile methodology developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been adopted and applied at Motorola to evaluate material properties of thin films. This methodology is a significant part of the materials technology development at Motorola. Special specimens of thin metal films are designed and produced based on common microlithographic techniques and silicon processing methods. The experimentation is performed using the microtensile tester, which was developed for the accurate measurement of constitutive properties of thin metallic films. Through the application of the techniques presented here, valuable information and results have been achieved, which provide an extended information base for thin-film materials. Ultimately, such data are applied to processing and reliability predictions and the optimization of thin-film processes and materials.