IngentaConnect Surface roughness measurements of micromachined polycrystalline s...

Authors: Phinney L.M.; Lin G.; Wellman J.; Garcia A.

Source: Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, Volume 14, Number 7, July 2004 , pp. 927-931(5)

Publisher: Institute of Physics Publishing

Abstract:

The characteristics of the materials and surfaces in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microsystems technology (MST) profoundly affect the performance, reliability, and wear of MEMS and MST devices. It is critical to measure the properties of surfaces that are in contact during microstructure movement, such as the underside of a MEMS gear and the underlying substrate. However, contacting surfaces are usually inaccessible unless the MEMS device is broken and removed from the substrate. This paper presents a nondestructive method for characterizing commercially fabricated surface micromachined polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) devices. Microhinged flaps were designed that enable access to the upper surface, the part of a structural layer deposited last; the lower surface, the part of a structural layer deposited first; and the underlying substrate. Due to the susceptibility of surface-micromachined MEMS to adhesion failures, the surface roughness is a key parameter for predicting device behavior. Using the microhinged flaps, the RMS surface roughness for polycrystalline surfaces was measured and indicated that the upper surfaces were 3.5–6.4 times rougher than the lower surfaces. The difference in the surface roughness for the upper surface, which is easily accessed and the one most commonly characterized, and that for the lower surface reveals the importance of characterizing contacting surfaces in MEMS and MST devices.

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Surface roughness measurements of micromachined polycrystalline silicon films