Cross-sectional nanoindentation: a new technique for thin film interfacial adhesion characterization

✍ Scribed by J.M. Sánchez; S. El-Mansy; B. Sun; T. Scherban; N. Fang; D. Pantuso; W. Ford; M.R. Elizalde; J.M. Martı́nez-Esnaola; A. Martı́n-Meizoso; J. Gil-Sevillano; M. Fuentes; J. Maiz

• Book ID: 104403965
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 284 KB
• Volume: 47
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1359-6454
• DOI: 10.1016/s1359-6454(99)00254-2

✦ Synopsis

AbstractÐInterfacial adhesion is becoming a critical material property for improving the reliability of multilayer thin ®lm structures used in microelectronics. Cross-sectional nanoindentation (CSN) is a new mechanical test especially designed for measuring the fracture toughness of thin ®lm interfaces. Interfacial fracture is achieved by nanoindentation in the structure cross-section. A model based on the elastic plate theory has been developed to calculate numerically the interfacial critical energy release rate (G ci ) for cer-amic±ceramic systems from CSN test results. The model inputs are the thin ®lm elastic properties, thin ®lm thickness, interfacial crack area and maximum thin ®lm de¯ection during the test. Closed form analytical solutions, obtained for two limiting cases, are consistent with the numerical approach. This technique has been successfully applied to silicon nitride±silicon oxide thin ®lms, commonly used as electrical isolators in microelectronic devices.