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Elastic modulus of low-k dielectric thin films measured by load-dependent contact-resonance atomic force microscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Gheorghe Stan ,
Sean W. King  and
Robert F. Cook
Gheorghe Stan*
Affiliation:
Ceramics Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
Sean W. King
Affiliation:
Portland Technology Development, Intel Corporation, Hillsboro, Oregon 97124
Robert F. Cook
Affiliation:
Ceramics Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: gheorghe.stan@nist.gov
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Abstract

Correlated force and contact resonance versus displacement responses have been resolved using load-dependent contact-resonance atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine the elastic modulus of low-k dielectric thin films. The measurements consisted of recording simultaneously both the deflection and resonance frequency shift of an AFM cantilever probe as the probe was gradually brought in and out of contact. As the applied forces were restricted to the range of adhesive forces, low-k dielectric films of elastic modulus varying from GPa to hundreds of GPa were measurable in this investigation. Over this elastic modulus range, the reliability of load-dependent contact-resonance AFM measurements was confirmed by comparing these results with those from picosecond laser acoustic measurements.

Keywords

Elastic propertiesNanoscaleScanning-probe microscopy (SPM)
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 24 , Issue 9 , September 2009 , pp. 2960 - 2964
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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