Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-grxwn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-04T17:57:30.255Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

In Situ Measurement of Young’s Modulus and Residual Stress of Thin Electroless Nickel Films for Mems Applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

S. Roy ,
S. Furukawa ,
H. Miyajima  and
M. Mehregany
S. Roy
Affiliation:
Electronics Design Center, Department of Electrical Engineering & Applied Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44016, USA
S. Furukawa
Affiliation:
Electronics Design Center, Department of Electrical Engineering & Applied Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44016, USA
H. Miyajima
Affiliation:
Electronics Design Center, Department of Electrical Engineering & Applied Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44016, USA
M. Mehregany
Affiliation:
Electronics Design Center, Department of Electrical Engineering & Applied Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44016, USA
Get access

Abstract

This paper reports in situ measurement of Young’s modulus and residual stress of electroless nickel films through the use of microfabricated nickel test structures, including electrostatic microactuators and passive devices. The test structures are fabricated in a new surface micromachining process, termed “nickel surface micromachining”, using electroless plated nickel as the structural layer and polysilicon as the sacrificial layer. Subsequent to fabrication, lateral resonant-type electrostatic microactuators of different geometries are resonated by electrical excitation. Using the measured resonant frequencies and knowledge of the device geometry, the Young’s modulus of the film is determined. The passive electroless nickel microstructures deform upon completion of the fabrication process due to residual stress in the film. Measurement of this deformation in conjunction with an appropriate mechanical model is used to determine the residual stress in the films.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 356: Symposium B2 – Thin Films: Stresses and Mechanical Properties V , 1994 , 573
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Furukawa, S., Miyajima, H. Mehregany, M., and Liu, C.C., 7th International Conference on Solid State Actuators, Yokohama, Japan, 66–69 (1993).Google Scholar
2. Riedel, W., Electroless Nickel Plating. (Finishing Publications Ltd., England, 1989).Google Scholar
3. Glang, R., Holmood, R.A., and Rosenfeld, R.L., Rev. Sci. Instrum., 36 (7), (1965)Google Scholar
4. Allen, M.G., Mehregany, M., and Howe, R.T., Applied Physics Letters 51 (27), 24143 (1987).Google Scholar
5. Guckel, H., Randazzo, T., and Burns, D.W., J. Appl. Phys., 57, 1671 5 (1985).Google Scholar
6. Mehregany, M., Howe, R.T., and Senturia, S.D., J. Appl. Phys., 62 (9), 3579 84 (1987).Google Scholar
7. Pratt, R.I., Johnson, G.C., Howe, R.T., and Chang, J.C., 6th International Conference on Solid State Actuators, Travmunde, Germany, 205 8 (1991).Google Scholar
8. Furukawa, S., Roy, S., Miyajima, H., Uenishi, Y., and Mehregany, M., Proceedings of the symposium on Microstructures and Microfabricated Systems, 185th Meeting of the Electrochemical Society., San Francisco, CA, 38–39 (1994).Google Scholar