Toward Standard Method for Microelectromechanical Systems Material Measurement through On-Chip Electrostatic Probing of Micrometer Size Polysilicon Tensile Specimens : Surfaces, Interfaces, and Films

Polysilicon deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition is the most widely used structural material for surface-micromachined microelectromechanical systems. Thus, investigations are still needed in order to identify polysilicon mechanical characteristics as a function of the deposition conditions. The following work focuses on new micrometer size monolithic test cells combining polysilicon tensile specimens and ultra-high driving force electrostatic actuators fabricated from a common process flow. The proposed approach allows intrinsic material properties such as polysilicon tensile fracture to be measured through electrostatic probing, using on-chip micrometer size uniaxial tensile test cells.