Micro-cantilevers for thin films: Young's modulus

Abstract

A simple and effective characterisation technique based on micro-cantilever beams for thin film materials using commonly available equipment - scanning surface profiler - is described. The advantages of this class of techniques are simplicity, speed, cost and a wide applicability. A technique for extracting the Young's modulus from static deflection data is developed and validated in experiments on thin film specimens of silicon nitride deposited on a silicon substrate under different conditions. Finite element analysis is used to assess the influence of factors affecting the bending of thin films, and thus guide the analysis of microcantilever deflection data for reliable characterisation of the material. © 2007 Springer.