Test microstructures for measurement of SiC thin film mechanical properties

Abstract

In this work, test microstructures for SiC film mechanical property measurements by beam bending using an atomic force microscope are presented. Crystalline 300 nm thick β-SiC layers obtained by high temperature multiple C implantation into Si have been used. The low residual stress level in the layers along with the high stiffness and excellent etch-stop properties of SiC allowed the fabrication of free standing microstructures using standard Si bulk micromachining techniques. This demonstrates the potential of SiC as an alternative to Si for MEMS applications.