Measurement of Ultrathin Film Mechanical Properties by Integrated Nano-scratch/indentation Approach

Abstract

AbstractThe thickness and property measurements of thin films on a substrate are crucial for a wide range of applications. Classical techniques have relied on various physical properties to identify film thickness, independent of its mechanical properties. Here, a new experimental technique is devised to evaluate the film thickness, its stiffness and its flow stress. The technique utilizes the variation of the measured apparent modulus of a ductile film on a substrate from a nano-indentation experiment, in conjunction with the measured normal and tangential forces and the scratch depth in a nano-scratch experiment. These combined measurements are calibrated through a simple statically admissible model to yield the unknown quantities. The measurements reasonably agree with the finite element predictions and are ascertained by XPS film thickness measurements. The technique is applied to study the formed oxide nano-layer during copper chemical mechanical planarization process.