On-chip tensile test for epitaxial polysilicon

The paper presents a proposal of new on-chip tests for the mechanical characterisation of polysilicon at the microscale. To evaluate the elastic Young´s modulus and the fracture strength two types of on-chip tests have been designed: a pure tension test and a single-edge-notched tension test, both performed using electrostatically actuated devices. The pure tension tests showed a low dispersion and gave a Young´s modulus for the silicon of 143 GPa. The notched specimens were tested up to failure, the relevant experimental results, supported by finite element simulations, allowed to accurately compute the tensile limit stress of polysilicon.