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Micromechanical testing of electroplated gold alloy films using theta-like specimens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2015

Mark J. McLean ,
William A. Osborn ,
Rebecca Kirkpatrick ,
Oliver Boomhower ,
Christopher Keimel  and
Frank W. DelRio
Mark J. McLean*
Affiliation:
Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
William A. Osborn
Affiliation:
Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
Rebecca Kirkpatrick
Affiliation:
Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
Oliver Boomhower
Affiliation:
Micro and Nano Structures Technologies Group, GE Global Research, Niskayuna, New York 12309
Christopher Keimel
Affiliation:
Micro and Nano Structures Technologies Group, GE Global Research, Niskayuna, New York 12309
Frank W. DelRio
Affiliation:
Applied Chemicals and Materials Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80305
*
Address all correspondence to Mark J. McLean atmark.mclean@nist.gov
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Abstract

Micromechanical testing of electroplated gold alloy films has been conducted using theta-like specimens. Specimens were formed by a standard combination of photolithography, electroplating, and deep reactive ion etching. Testing was performed using an instrumented indenter and the results interpreted using a finite-element model with a Ramberg–Osgood constitutive law to extract elastic and plastic material properties. The observed results were highly repeatable and appear to be sensitive to variations in both sample dimensions and material properties. These qualities suggest that the testing methodology may have significant value as a quality control technique in the fabrication of metal microelectromechanical systems.

Type
Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , September 2015 , pp. 503 - 506
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

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