One of the simplest ways to measure the mechanical properties of a thin film is to deform it on a very small scale. Because indentation testing with a sharp indenter is one convenient means to accomplish this, nanoindentation, or indentation testing at the nanometer scale, has become one of the most widely used techniques for measuring the mechanical properties of thin films. Other reasons for the popularity of nanoindentation stem from the ease with which a wide variety of mechanical properties can be measured without removing the film from its substrate and the ability to probe a surface at numerous points and spatially map its mechanical properties. The utility of the mapping capability is illustrated in Figure 1, which shows several small indentations made at selected points in a microelectronic device. The hardness and modulus of the device were determined at each point. In addition to microelectronics, nanoindentation has also proved useful in the study of optical coatings, hard coatings, and materials with surfaces modified by ion implantation and laser treatment.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0883769400041634

Measurement of thin film mechanical properties using nanoindentation

Electromigration is an important concern in very large scale integrated circuits. In narrow, confined metal interconnects used at the chip level, the electromigration flux is resisted by the evolution of mechanical stresses in the interconnects. Solutions for the differential equation governing the evolution of back stresses are presented for several representative cases, and the solutions are discussed in the light of experimental as well as theoretical developments from the literature.

Stress evolution due to electromigration in confined metal lines

Using a variety of depth-sensing indentation techniques, the creep response of high-purity indium, from room temperature to 75 °C, was measured. The dependence of the hardness on the variables of indentation strain rate (stress exponent for creep (n)) and temperature (apparent activation energy for creep (Q)) and the existence of a steady-state behavior in an indentation test with a Berkovich indenter were investigated. It was shown for the first time that the indentation strain rate (-este-/h) could be held constant during an experiment using a Berkovich indenter, by maintaining the loading rate divided by the load (-este-/P) constant. The apparent activation energy for indentation creep was found to be 78 kJ/mol, in accord with the activation energy for self-diffusion in the material. Finally, by performing -este-/P change experiments, it was shown that a steady-state path independent of hardness could be reached in an indentation test with a geometrically similar indenter.

Indentation power-law creep of high-purity indium

To measure nanomechanical properties of surface layers of bulk materials and thin films, depth-sensing nanoindentation measurement techniques are used commonly. The nanoindentation apparatus continuously monitors the load and the position of the indenter relative to the surface of the specimen (depth of an indent or displacement) during the indentation process. Indentation experiments can be performed at a penetration depth of as low as about 5 nm. This chapter presents an overview of various nanoindentation techniques, various measurement options, and data analysis. Data on elastic-plastic deformation behavior, hardness, elastic modulus, scratch resistance, film-substrate adhesion, residual stresses, time-dependent creep and relaxation properties, fracture toughness, and fatigue are presented.

Nanomechanical characterisation of solid surfaces and thin films

This report presents experimental results on 58Bi-42Sn solder joints, optical and SEM microstructures of their matrix and of their interface with copper, solidification behavior studied by differential scanning calorimetry, wettability to copper, creep, and low cycle fatigue. These results are discussed in comparison with 60Sn-40Pb solder, and with three low temperature solders, 52In-48Sn, 43Sn-43Pb-14Bi, and 40In-40Sn-20Pb. The 58Bi-42Sn solder paste with RMA flux wets Cu matrix with a wetting angle of 35° and had a 15° C undercooling during solidification. The constitutive equation of the steady state shear strain rate, and the Coffin-Manson relation constants for the low cycle shear fatigue life at 65° C have been determined. The test results show that this solder has the best creep resistance but the poorest fatigue strength compared with the other four solders.

Characterization of eutectic Sn-Bi solder joints

This volume is the proceedings of the symposia on electronic packaging materials science. The symposium included overviews as well as papers which addressed levels of packaging. The packaging and interconnection technologies for electronic systems are becoming an increasingly important part of these systems in terms of their cost, functionality, and complexity. This trend is being driven by system trends toward higher density, higher speed, and higher thermal dissipation. The nature of these trends, and their impact on the demands placed on the materials are covered. New processes for depositing, etching and promoting interfacial adhesion are described. Particular materials issues associated with interconnection on the IC, from the IC to its package and between ICs are covered. The authors have dealt with issues particular to the packaging of Ga As and optoelectronic circuits.

K.A. Jackson

Papers

Electronic packaging materials science III