Nanodac - an SPM-based nanodeformation measurement technique for reliability assessment of micro- and nanosystems

With the development of micro- and nanotechnological products such as sensors, MEMS/NEMS and their broad application in a variety of market segments new reliability issues will arise. The increasing interface-to-volume ratio in highly integrated systems and nanoparticle filled materials and unsolved questions of size effect of nanomaterials are challenges for experimental reliability evaluation. Therefore the authors developed the nanoDAC method (nano Deformation Analysis by Correlation), which allows the determination and evaluation of 2D displacement fields based on Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) data. In-situ SPM scans of the analyzed object are carried out at different thermomechanical load states. The images are compared utilizing grayscale cross correlation algorithms. This allows the tracking of local image patterns of the analyzed surface structure. The measurement results of the nanoDAC technique are full-field displacement and strain fields. Due to the application of SPM equipment deformations in nanometer range can be easily detected. The method can be performed on bulk materials, thin films and on devices i.e microelectronic components, sensors or MEMS/NEMS. Furthermore, the mechanical characterization of material interfaces can be carried out with highest precision.