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Microscale Measurement of Stresses in a Silicon Flexure Using Raman Spectroscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2011

V. T. Srikar
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A. ([email protected])
A. K. Swan
Affiliation:
Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, U.S.A.
B.B. Goldberg
Affiliation:
Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, U.S.A.
M. S. Ünlü
Affiliation:
Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, U.S.A.
S. M. Spearing
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A. ([email protected])
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Abstract

We report the use of Raman spectroscopy to characterize the bending stresses in a deep reactive-ion etched, single-crystal, silicon flexure of length 2950 μm, width 480 μm, thickness 150 μm, and fillet radius 65 μm, subjected to a tip displacement of 69.5 μm. The spectral resolution of the measurement was 0.02 cm-1, which corresponds to a stress resolution of ∼10 MPa, and the spatial resolution was ∼1 μm. Line scans were performed across the thickness, at several locations along the length, of the flexure. The changes in the Raman shift were converted to stress values, assuming a uniaxial stress state, without the use of any fitting parameters. A comparison of the measured values with the predictions of analytical and numerical models indicates agreement to within 25–35 MPa (or ∼15%) at locations sufficiently distant from the root. At the root itself, the complex nature of the stress distribution precludes unambiguous stress determination using spectroscopic measurements.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

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References

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