On-Chip Electrostatically Actuated Bending Tests for the Mechanical Characterization of Polysilicon at the Micro Scale

The issue of mechanical characterization of polysilicon used in micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) is discussed in this paper. An innovative approach based on a fully on-chip testing procedure is described; two ad hoc designed electrostatically actuated microsystems are here used in order to determine experimentally the Young’s modulus and the rupture strength of polysilicon. The first device is based on a rotational test structure actuated by a system of comb-finger capacitors which load up to rupture a couple of tapered beams under bending in the plane parallel to the substrate. The second microsystem is based on a large plate with holes. It constitutes with the substrate a parallel plate capacitor moving in the direction orthogonal to the substrate itself. A couple of tapered beams placed at the centre of the plate is loaded up to rupture in bending in the plane orthogonal to the substrate. By means of the two devices, experimental data are obtained: they allow for a careful determination of Young’s modulus and rupture strength. The rupture values are interpreted by means of the Weibull approach; statistical size effects and stress gradient effect are taken into account thus allowing for a direct comparison between the data obtained from the two test structures.

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