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In situ compression tests on micron-sized silicon pillars by Raman microscopy—Stress measurements and deformation analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

K. Wasmer ,
T. Wermelinger ,
A. Bidiville ,
R. Spolenak  and
J. Michler
K. Wasmer*
Affiliation:
EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland
T. Wermelinger
Affiliation:
Laboratory for Nanometallurgy, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
A. Bidiville
Affiliation:
EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland
R. Spolenak
Affiliation:
Laboratory for Nanometallurgy, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
J. Michler
Affiliation:
EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: kilian.wasmer@empa.ch
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Abstract

Mechanical properties of silicon are of high interest to the microelectromechanical systems community as it is the most frequently used structural material. Compression tests on 8 μm diameter silicon pillars were performed under a micro-Raman setup. The uniaxial stress in the micropillars was derived from a load cell mounted on a microindenter and from the Raman peak shift. Stress measurements from the load cell and from the micro-Raman spectrum are in excellent agreement. The average compressive failure strength measured in the middle of the micropillars is 5.1 GPa. Transmission electron microscopy investigation of compressed micropillars showed cracks at the pillar surface or in the core. A correlation between crack formation and dislocation activity was observed. The authors strongly believe that the combination of nanoindentation and micro-Raman spectroscopy allowed detection of cracks prior to failure of the micropillar, which also allowed an estimation of the in-plane stress in the vicinity of the crack tip.

Keywords

Nano-indentationNanostructureRaman spectroscopy
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 23 , Issue 11 , November 2008 , pp. 3040 - 3047
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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References

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