X-ray residual stress analysis in components of microsystem technology

In this paper, different kinds of residual stresses during the manufacture of microsystems and microdevices, their origins and effects as well as various measuring techniques are reviewed. X-ray diffraction is a suitable and well-known non-destructive method of analysing residual stresses. This technique, however, has not always been compatible for use on these microsystems due to the geometrical requirements and the long time needed for the measurements. The subject of the paper is to demonstrate the feasibility and to discuss the pros and cons of this method in this situation.