Micro-Tensile Testing To Characterize MEMS

Introduction
To fabricate a MEMS device, understanding of the mechanical properties at micro-scale is very important.
The mechanical properties of materials not only depend upon the material components but also on the microstructure, grain sizes, distribution, strength, density of the precipitates and processing technique. Materials that
shows promising resistance to creep are very important for MEMs devices design and fabrication. The properties of
thin films are not necessarily the same like that of bulk materials. So, there is a clear need for test structures and
related instrumentation to study this. This paper focuses on micro-tensile testing of a thin film of Al-Cu-Mg-Mn
alloy used for RF MEMS switches to establish direct relationship between the mechanical properties, coherence,
size and spacing of the precipitates.
Tensile testing at the micro-scale, is one of the most direct methods for measuring the mechanical
properties. However, its application to small MEMS like structures and films is very challenging. A 1.7um thick AlCu-Mg-Mn film micro-structure has been selected for measuring the mechanical values using tensile testing. This
material has been selected as it is resistant to creep phenomenon.

Design and Processing of Test Structure

A design structure sample (a test beam) having a single cell and a fabricated cell from Al-Cu-Mg-Mn alloy
is shown in fig.1. The sample (single cell) consists of Si with the Al alloy film on top, and at the center there are free
test beams of Al-Cu-Mg-Mn. The enlarged areas at the bottom show the designed (left) and processed (right) microbeam. The two circular holes are used to clamp the sample.

Fig. 1. A Micro-tensile cell - design cell (left) and a fabricated cell (right).
Similarly, A number of different cells were designed with different numbers of beams on an 8 inch wafer
(Fig.2). To avoid whole wafer cracking before the processing, cells were placed on it randomly. This avoids the
presence of vertical or horizontal lines along the wafer that could weaken it and result in a broken sample during the
processing.

Fig. 2. Random arrangement of the cells on the 8-inch wafer.

Post Processing of Test Structures

The most difficult steps is the release of a test cell containing a tiny micro-beam from a processed wafer
and the mounting in grips to allow the tensile testing of free test beams which was done by using laser cutting. Fig 3.
shows a processed wafer and a cell with Al-Cu-Mg-Mn beams that was successfully released.

Fig. 3. A processed wafer and a cell with Al-Cu-Mg-Mn beam.

Fig 4. shows the test cell mounted into the dedicated tool. The supporting frames are removed to free the microbeams. The test beams have been freed using a rotating diamond saw.

Fig. 4. Test Cell mounted into the dedicated tool.

Instrumentation
It is a computer controlled unit with adjustable grips for bending and tensile tests. The most important
component of the system is the ultra-high resolution linear DC motor actuator which provide linear motion of 50
mm with minimal incremental motion of 20nm/sec. The load cell is environmentally sealed with temperature
compensation and very high load precision of 100uN with the maximum load of 180N.

Results and Discussions

The stress-strain curves of the as deposited and softened Al-Cu-Mg-Mn are depicted in fig. 5 showing
elastic region, yield strengths and rapture points.

Fig 5. Stress- strain curves of as deposited and softened Al-Cu-Mg-Mn films.

The yield strength of the as-deposited Al-Cu-Mg-Mn alloy is very high (1 GPa) and is related to its microstructure because this microstructure consists of strong, coherent and highly dense precipitates which acts as very
effective barrier for dislocation motion. The drastic drop in the yield strength of the artificially softened alloy from 1
GPa to 400 MPa is mostly caused by the re-arrangement of the precipitates that became weak and formed an
ineffective barrier for dislocation movement. The artificially softened alloy becomes less hard, with low yield
strength and is more creep sensitive.

Nano-Indentation Technique
Normally, the hardness is proportional to the yield strength of a material. Hardness of the as-deposited film
reflecting high yield strength was measured using nano-indentation. Nano-hardness tests fully confirmed the microtensile tests. The hardness drastically decreased for the softened alloy (Fig.6), but remained the same after the
processing.

Fig. 6. Nano-hardness test of Al-Cu-Mg-Mn.

Conclusion
The tensile testing on the micro-scale is very challenging but feasible. Micro-tensile testing is the most
direct method for measuring the mechanical properties of thin films. Al-Cu-Mg-Mn films have been investigated in
two different micro-structure states: as deposited and artificially softened. The results obtained for both microstructures revealed huge differences in the mechanical properties of these films. Additionally, the differences were
confirmed by nano-indentation tests. These big differences are attributed to the micro-structure of the Al-Cu-Mg-Mn
films. This shows that a film made from one material can exhibit a very different mechanical behavior in thin films
micro-structures. The micro-structure of metals and their alloys exhibits the mechanical properties as per their
processing technique. So, measuring mechanical properties at the micro-scale is the key to understand these
materials.