Measurement of elastic modulus, Poisson ratio, and coefficient of thermal expansion of on-wafer submicron films

A bending beam method has been developed to measure the elastic modulus E, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and the Poisson ratio ν for on-wafer dielectric films with thicknesses in the submicron range. The method was demonstrated for 0.5 μm thick silicon dioxide films made from tetraethylorthosilane (TEOS). First, the biaxial elastic modulus E/(1-ν) and CTE were measured on blanket TEOS on Si and GaAs substrates and found to be 77 GPa and 1.0 ppm/°C, respectively. The Poisson ratio ν was determined by combining the finite element calculation and the experimental result of the thermal stresses of TEOS fine lines on the Si substrate. The Poisson ratio of TEOS was determined to be 0.24 and, as a consequence, the Young’s modulus was 59 GPa. Fourier transform infrared spectra were obtained for TEOS films on the Si and GaAs substrates to ensure that the chemical structure of the film is independent of the substrate.